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Protesters Try To Paralyze Bangkok

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Anti-government protesters demonstrate in front of the Royal Thao Police headquarters on January 14, 2014 in Bangkok, Thailand. (Ed Wray/Getty Images)
Anti-government protesters demonstrate in front of the Royal Thao Police headquarters on January 14, 2014 in Bangkok, Thailand. (Ed Wray/Getty Images)

Thousands of demonstrators jammed the streets of Thailand's capital today. They want to oust the current government and replace it with an unelected people's council.

The protesters claim the current Prime Minister Yingliuck Shinawatra is just a proxy for her brother, the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. He was ousted by the military in 2006 and is currently living in self-imposed exile.

New elections are scheduled for February, but there are doubts they will be held. The BBC's Jonathan Head joins Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson from Bangkok with the latest.

Guest

  • Jonathan Head, Southeast Asia correspondent for the BBC. He tweets @pakhead.

This segment aired on January 14, 2014.

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