High school, college and university students will return to their classrooms today after the Constitution Court disqualified Samak Sundaravej as prime minister for moonlighting as a TV cooking show host. The group, calling itself the Young PAD, earlier planned a three-day nationwide protest starting yesterday.
Young PAD coordinator Wasant Vanich called off the plan after the court verdict. But he vowed that students from 80 education institutions would regroup if Mr Samak stages a comeback.
Hundreds of students earlier defied school warnings and joined the anti-government protest led by the People's Alliance for Democracy to press for the departure of Mr Samak and his cabinet.
Students took over the Makkhawan Rangsan stage and took turns giving speeches.
Sakul Mattaya, of Wijitsilp school, said: ''In a time of political crisis, students from rival schools must join together to oust the government''.
He arrived with 20 other schoolmates.
A leader of around 100 students from the Siam Institute of Technology, said: ''Many may view us as wasting our time settling scores with students from rival schools. Today, we want to show that we are upset with the way the government is running this country for the sake of one man, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra''.
''We have no fear of our school's threat of expulsion''.
About 30 students from Rajamangala University of Technology's Uthen Thawai campus provided security for protesting students.
Ramida Ponglim, from the Demonstration School of Silpakorn University, said: ''We [she and 10 classmates] are upset with the two-chamber debate, which is nothing but a stage for the government to defend its right to hang on. Don't stop students from rallying if political mechanisms don't work''.
A student from Benjamarachalai school said the principal had threatened to postpone final exams if any students skipped classes and attended the protest. But the students maintained the rally would not hurt their performance.
The mood was mixed in other provinces.
In Trang, students at three universities attended classes as usual. In Phuket, 3,000 students from Phuket Wittayalai school and 2,000 others from Satree Phuket school marched in the city centre calling on Mr Samak to quit.
Young PAD coordinator Wasant Vanich called off the plan after the court verdict. But he vowed that students from 80 education institutions would regroup if Mr Samak stages a comeback.
Hundreds of students earlier defied school warnings and joined the anti-government protest led by the People's Alliance for Democracy to press for the departure of Mr Samak and his cabinet.
Students took over the Makkhawan Rangsan stage and took turns giving speeches.
Sakul Mattaya, of Wijitsilp school, said: ''In a time of political crisis, students from rival schools must join together to oust the government''.
He arrived with 20 other schoolmates.
A leader of around 100 students from the Siam Institute of Technology, said: ''Many may view us as wasting our time settling scores with students from rival schools. Today, we want to show that we are upset with the way the government is running this country for the sake of one man, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra''.
''We have no fear of our school's threat of expulsion''.
About 30 students from Rajamangala University of Technology's Uthen Thawai campus provided security for protesting students.
Ramida Ponglim, from the Demonstration School of Silpakorn University, said: ''We [she and 10 classmates] are upset with the two-chamber debate, which is nothing but a stage for the government to defend its right to hang on. Don't stop students from rallying if political mechanisms don't work''.
A student from Benjamarachalai school said the principal had threatened to postpone final exams if any students skipped classes and attended the protest. But the students maintained the rally would not hurt their performance.
The mood was mixed in other provinces.
In Trang, students at three universities attended classes as usual. In Phuket, 3,000 students from Phuket Wittayalai school and 2,000 others from Satree Phuket school marched in the city centre calling on Mr Samak to quit.
SIRIKUL BUNNAG
