BANGKOK - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Saturday warned the deeply divided kingdom faces a “cycle of violence” unless steps are taken towards reconciliation after years of civil unrest. Proposals aimed at healing rifts that have seen Thailand rocked by bloody unrest since a 2006 coup have sparked fury among opposition MPs who fear they will open the door for Yingluck’s brother - ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra - to return.
Protesters from the nation’s “Yellow Shirt” faction blocked lawmakers from entering parliament Friday to debate a disputed reconciliation bill, as barely-concealed political tensions resurface in Thailand.
A rescheduled debate starting on Wednesday has also been “postponed indefinitely”, Udondej Rattanasatien, of the ruling Puea Thai Party, told AFP Saturday.