Protests swell in Bangkok after Thai PM survives no-confidence vote
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra survives a no-confidence vote in parliament
- Protesters rally outside government offices, demanding her government step down
- Critics say Yingluck is a puppet for her brother, a former PM who was ousted in a coup
- "The government is ready to open a space for dialogue," Yingluck says
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Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- She managed to survive a no-confidence vote in parliament, but that didn't sway the throngs of protesters denouncing Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Even after the 297-134 vote Thursday, demonstrations swelled in Bangkok.
The embattled prime minster gave a brief televised statement after the vote Thursday.
"The government is ready to open a space for dialogue," she said. She added that officials are willing to "listen to all voices of people, including those who are still occupying the governmental offices."
Protesters have been calling for an end Yingluck's government. She is the sister of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, the telecommunications tycoon who was ousted in a 2006 coup.
Her critics accuse her of being Thaksin's puppet.
Thaksin was a deeply polarizing figure who was removed from power by the military while in New York in 2006. He has since lived in exile, except for a brief return in 2008, and was convicted by Thai courts for corruption and sentenced in absentia to two years in jail.
Thousands of protesters have ramped up pressure on the Thai government by surrounding official buildings. On Monday, protesters in Bangkok stormed the finance ministry building and turned into their secondary command center.
The number of demonstrators, led by the opposition Democrat Party, has declined from the huge gathering of roughly 100,000 people that initially assembled.
How it started
The current round of protests was triggered in response to a government-backed amnesty bill that could have extended a pardon to Thaksin Shinawatra and opened the door for his return to Thailand.
The Thai senate rejected the amnesty bill on November 11, but since then demonstrations continued, with the opposition calling for the current government to be replaced by a new administration.
More than three weeks of anti-government protests led by the Democrat Party culminated in a giant demonstration Sunday. At various points during the past few days, demonstrators have surrounded the foreign ministry, as well as the agriculture and interior ministries.
Yingluck has said authorities will "absolutely not use violence" to disperse the demonstrators. But the situation is delicate after Thai police issued an arrest warrant against protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban.
And while these protests have been peaceful, they still stir memories of deadly 2010 clashes in Bangkock between security forces and Thaksin supporters who demanded his return.
The National Security Council said Wednesday that authorities are "sticking with negotiation" and trying to persuade Suthep to hand himself in.
Authorities have extended the areas around Bangkok where police are enforcing an internal security law that restricts gatherings by demonstrators.
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