Latest news with #studentMovement
CNA
03-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
'Big Comrade': Former defence chief takes reins as Thai PM
BANGKOK: Thailand's former defence chief is set to be appointed acting prime minister on Thursday (Jul 3), capping a colourful career for the political heavyweight once nicknamed "Big Comrade". Phumtham Wechayachai earned his moniker over links in his youth to a 1970s student movement that rallied against the architect of a military coup, before their protests were violently crushed. He fled to the jungle where communist guerrillas were plotting uprisings against the nation's military, and recently he has been questioned over his associations. But the 71-year-old has successfully transitioned into the limelight from a business role in the empire of Thaksin Shinawatra, the founding force of a dynasty which has dominated Thai politics for decades. Phumtham has held the defence and commerce portfolios, and had a previous spell as acting prime minister after a crisis engulfed the top office last year. On Thursday he is due to be sworn in as deputy prime minister and interior minister – making him acting premier again, after Thaksin's daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended from her role. SUBURBAN REVOLUTIONARY Born in the suburbs of Bangkok, Phumtham was nicknamed "Auan", meaning "Chubby", by his parents. He earned a political science degree from a top Thai university and joined the student movement that took to the streets in 1976, opposing the return of military dictator Thanom Kittikachorn. His childhood nickname belied his slim-faced appearance in a black-and-white photo of the protests, showing him brandishing speech papers with a microphone in hand. The uprising ended in a bloody crackdown known as the "Thammasat Massacre" that killed at least 40 students and remains today one of the country's most notorious instances of protest bloodshed. Unofficial estimates suggest the death toll could have been as high as 500, because live ammunition was used to quell the unrest. Students from Thailand's elite universities fled into the jungle to join guerilla movements. When Phumtham became defence minister last year he faced a grilling by the conservative and pro-military establishment who accused him of being a card-carrying communist. "I went to escape the violence," he insisted. "It was not only me, there were other students too." Despite his protestations, his links to the movement earned him a second alias: "Big Comrade". Phumtham's reputation has softened since his firebrand formative years, and he is now known as a composed and diplomatic operator. He will step into the acting prime minister role after the Constitutional Court suspended Paetongtarn pending an ethics probe which could take months. In the brief interim between the court decision and Phumtham being sworn in as part of a Cabinet reshuffle, transport minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit has been acting premier. DYNASTY LIEUTENANT Phumtham's rise has mirrored that of Thaksin, whose dynastic parties have been jousting with the country's pro-monarchy, pro-military establishment since the early 2000s. In the 1990s Phumtham was employed by the Thaksin-founded telecom giant Shin Corp, before entering politics full-time in 2001. He served as deputy secretary-general of the Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) party, founded by Thaksin, and was appointed deputy transport minister in 2005. After Thaksin was ousted in a coup, the party was dissolved and Phumtham was slapped with a five-year ban from politics. But the movement remained a potent force, with Thaksin's sister and brother-in-law both having stints as prime minister. Paetongtarn was appointed in August, with the backing of the family's Pheu Thai party. Phumtham, considered Thaksin's confidant, appeared by Paetongtarn's side as she gave her first press conference as leader.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Serbian leader digs in, slams early elections rally
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic insisted Sunday that he would not cave in to the 140,000 protesters who rallied in the capital overnight demanding early elections, while vowing more arrests after clashes broke out. Saturday's rally was one of the largest in more than half a year of demonstrations triggered by the roof collapse at a train station in the city of Novi Sad in November, killing 16 people -- a disaster widely blamed on entrenched corruption. Unlike previous gatherings, which took place without incident, clashes erupted between demonstrators and riot police. "Serbia has won, and you cannot defeat Serbia by violence as some wanted," Vucic said in a public address. He accused the student-led movement of causing "terror" and promised there would be more arrests over the violence. AFP journalists saw riot police using tear gas and batons as protesters hurled flares and bottles at rows of officers in several clashes following the massive gathering in Belgrade. Authorities said 48 officers were injured, one seriously, and put the crowd size at 36,000 -- well below an independent estimate by the Archive of Public Gatherings of around 140,000. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said 22 people sought medical help, of whom two were seriously injured. - 'This is not the end' - Police detained 77 people, with 38 still in custody, according to Dacic. "There will be many more arrested for attacking police... this is not the end," Vucic said. He added that there would be "no negotiations with terrorists and those who wanted to destroy the state -- accountability follows". "Revenge must not be our language, but responsibility must be part of our consciousness," he said. Later on Sunday, six people were arrested on accusations of several crimes, including planning to block roads and attack state institutions "in order to violently change the state order", the Higher Prosecutor's Office said in a statement. An operation was ongoing, the statement said. Protest organisers meanwhile called for the release of a "large number of citizens" and "numerous students", and announced a rally in front of the prosecutor's office. "This is not a moment for withdrawal," the protest group said on Instagram. Ahead of Saturday's protest, organisers had issued an "ultimatum" for Vucic to call elections -- a demand he rejected well before the rally began. On Sunday, he reiterated there would not be any national vote before the end of 2026. The outcry over the Novi Sad disaster has already led to the resignation of the country's prime minister. Yet the governing party has kept power, with a reshuffled administration and the president still in office. Vucic has repeatedly alleged the protests are part of a foreign plot to destroy his government. More than a dozen people have been arrested in recent weeks, a crackdown that has now become routine ahead of large demonstrations. After the rally, organisers played a statement to the crowd calling for Serbians to "take freedom into your own hands" and giving them the "green light". "The authorities had all the mechanisms and all the time to meet the demands and prevent an escalation," the organisers said in a statement on Instagram. ljv/al/js
News.com.au
29-06-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Serbian leader digs in, slams early elections rally
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic insisted Sunday that he would not cave in to the 140,000 protesters who rallied in the capital overnight demanding early elections, vowing more arrests after clashes broke out. Saturday's rally was one of the largest in more than half a year of demonstrations triggered by the roof collapse at a train station in the city of Novi Sad in November, killing 16 people -- a tragedy widely blamed on entrenched corruption. Unlike previous gatherings, which took place without incidents, clashes erupted between demonstrators and riot police. "Serbia has won, and you cannot defeat Serbia by violence as some wanted," Vucic said in a public address. He accused the student-led movement of causing "terror" and promised there would be more arrests over the violence. AFP journalists saw riot police using tear gas and batons as protesters hurled flares and bottles at rows of officers in several clashes following the massive gathering in Belgrade. Authorities said 48 officers were injured, one seriously, and put the crowd size at 36,000 -- well below an independent estimate by the Archive of Public Gatherings of around 140,000. Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said 22 people sought medical help, of whom two were seriously injured. - 'This is not the end' - Police detained 77 people, with 38 still in custody, according to Dacic. "There will be many more arrested for attacking police... this is not the end," Vucic said. He added that there would be "no negotiations with terrorists and those who wanted to destroy the state -- accountability follows". "Revenge must not be our language, but responsibility must be part of our consciousness," he said. Ahead of Saturday's protest, organisers had issued an "ultimatum" for Vucic to call elections -- a demand he rejected well before the rally began. On Sunday, he reiterated there would not be any national vote before the end of 2026. The outcry over the Novi Sad disaster has already led to the resignation of the country's prime minister. Yet the governing party has kept power, with a reshuffled government and the president still in office. Vucic has repeatedly alleged the protests are part of a foreign plot to destroy his government. More than a dozen people have been arrested in recent weeks, a crackdown that has now become routine ahead of large demonstrations. After the rally, organisers played a statement to the crowd calling for Serbians to "take freedom into your own hands" and giving them the "green light". "The authorities had all the mechanisms and all the time to meet the demands and prevent an escalation," the organisers said in a statement on Instagram.
