Thai protesters on Wednesday ruled out negotiations with the government despite fears of a looming crackdown, saying talks were “out of the question” after bloody clashes earlier this month.
The anti-government campaigners have said they are braced for security forces to clear their encampment in the heart of Bangkok’s retail district, and shut down four weeks of rolling demonstrations.
Jatuporn Prompan, a core leader of the red-shirted campaigners who are pushing for fresh elections to replace a government they say is illegitimate, said negotiations were impossible after the clashes that left 25 dead.
“There will be no talks with the government because the incident on April 10, in which many of our people were killed, has made talks out of question. It has made the situation beyond negotiation,” he said.
“It’s impossible to hold negotiations between killers and those who have been killed,” he said.
The Reds have been ruling out talks ever since the last round of negotiations with the government collapsed earlier this month.
Asked about suggestions that another party could act as an intermediary, Jatuporn said: “We are ready to talk with other groups such as NGOs and foreign diplomats and then we don’t care what they do next with the discussions.”
The violence on April 10, triggered by a military attempt to clear protesters from their rallying base, left 19 protesters, five members of the security forces and one foreign journalist dead, as well as more than 800 injured. — AFP