Anti-government coalition will obey court order to suspend rally

BANGKOK, July 6 (TNA) -- Thailand's People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a civil society movement dedicated changing the government, is prepared to obey a Civil Court order, set to be issued Monday, to either suspend its ongoing rally or move the demonstration to a site other than Government House, according to a PAD core leader.
The PAD, despite demanding the ouster of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and his coalition government, is ready to strictly obey the court's order because it believes that it has already achieved a victory which has benefited the people, Chamlong Srimuang said on Sunday.
Chamlong said the PAD rally, which began May 25, could end at any time now.
PAD members and supporters will gather at Thailand's national police headquarters early Monday to learn about progress on charges against ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and against the pro-government group called the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UFDD), he said.
Chamlong said his group wanted the police to treat the groups equally like ordinary citizens.
The protestors are demonstrating on a 24-hour basis during the weekend, and using loudspeakers after the court last Monday issued an injunction forcing the protestors to open two key roads they had blocked near Government House.
They were also ordered to stop using loudspeakers on weekdays between 7.30am and 4.30pm following complaints by teachers and parents at a school near the rally site.
The court is scheduled to hold its next hearing Monday after the
plaintiffs told the court that the PAD defendants continued to block the roads and were not obeying the injunction.