The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD; ; commonly known as "Yellow Shirts") is a Thai reactionary, monarchist political movement and pressure group. It was originally a coalition of protesters against Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime Minister of Thailand.
Its leaders included media-mogul Sondhi Limthongkul and Major General Chamlong Srimuang. The PAD was a chief player in the political crisis of 2005–2006, the 2008 crisis, and the Cambodian–Thai border stand-off. Its membership consisted mainly of ultra-royalist middle-class and working-class Bangkok residents and anti-Thaksin Southerners, supported by some factions of the Thai Army, some leaders of Democrat Party, and the members of the state-enterprise labor unions.
People's Alliance for Democracy announced to end the political role on August 23, 2013.
Name
The movement is also called the National Liberation Alliance (กลุ่มพันธมิตรกู้ชาติ, Klum Phanthamit Ku Chat), the Thai Patriots Network, or more commonly the Yellow Shirts (, Suea Lueang).
General information
The PAD was formed to lead demonstrations against the government of Thaksin Shinawatra, whom they accused of being anti-monarchy. Two days after a military junta's 2006 military coup overthrew Thaksin's interim government (between elections), the PAD voluntarily dissolved after announcing its goals had been accomplished. The PAD re-established itself after Thaksin-affiliated parties, led by Samak Sundaravej's People's Power Party (PPP), won a plurality in the 2007 general election. In May 2008, PAD again began street protests and in August seized Government House to pressure Samak's coalition government to resign. PAD supporters also seized airports in Phuket, Krabi, and Hat Yai and blocked major roads and highways. Sympathetic state-enterprise labour unions assisted by stopping train services across the kingdom and threatened to shut off electricity and water services to non-PAD supporters. Armed PAD forces "Srivichai Warriors" seized a government television broadcaster as well as several government ministries. Violence between PAD supporters and anti-PAD protesters left dozens injured and one PAD protester dead. Wealthy PAD supporters threatened a bank run that could destabilize the Thai financial system if the Samak government did not resign.
PAD's protests escalated after the Constitutional Court found Samak guilty of violating a law which prohibits government ministers from receiving a salary from another job. PAD forces surrounded Parliament and used razor wire barricades to prevent the legislature from meeting to hear Samak's replacement, Thaksin's brother-in-law Somchai Wongsawat, formally announce his policies. Police used force to disperse the protesters, resulting in hundreds of serious injuries and the death of a young woman, all caused by the explosions of Chinese-made tear gas grenades, which the poorly trained police fired directly at the protesters. As a result, the PAD formally renounced non-violence and vowed bloody revenge. In November, the PAD blockaded Parliament prior to a crucial legislative session, used hijacked public buses to take control of the government's provisional offices at Don Mueang International Airport, and seized control of Suvarnabhumi International Airport. The PAD also threatened to lay siege to the seaports of the Eastern Seaboard. The PAD's sieges and protests ended after the Constitutional Court dissolved the PPP, banned its leaders from politics, and Army Commander Anuphong Phaochinda pressured many PPP MPs to defect to the Democrat Party and elect Abhisit Vejjajiva as Premier. PAD activist Kasit Piromya was appointed Foreign Minister in the new government.
The PAD called en masse for the resignations of Thaksin, Samak Sundaravej, and Somchai Wongsawat, whom the PAD accused of being proxies for Thaksin. Sondhi originally proposed Somchai as an acceptable alternative to Samak. However, when Somchai replaced Samak, the PAD refused to stop its protests, noting that Somchai is Thaksin's brother-in-law. At the height of the sieges, the PAD openly stated that the only person they would accept as premier was Abhisit. PAD leader Khamnoon Sitthisamarn called Abhisit's premiership a "genuine PAD victory" and a "Anuphong-style coup d'état".