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Published on September 12, 2007

About 300 labour union members workers from the Inter Moda garment factory in the Rangsit area of Bangkok have been protesting at Government House since Monday, demanding that the government step in and help them get severance pay following the closure of their company on August 26 without informing workers.

They asked the government to pay Bt24 million, which the company had failed to give to them, and suggested that the government then collect the money from the owners.

The workers had earlier blocked all entrances to Government House, causing inconvenience for government workers and visitors.

As the government remained silent in response to their demands, 10 female workers stripped off their clothes and covered themselves with printed banners and marched to a small gate at Government House.

They stood in front of the police, some shouting that they now had nothing yet still had to support their families.

The protesting workers later demanded the government respond to their plight by September 19.

Less than a kilometre away, 1,000 demonstrators from Rayong province travelled to Bangkok and gathered at the Education Ministry to hand over a letter to the prime minister protesting the IRPC plan to build a coal-fired power plant there.

They said they had gathered more than 15,000 signatures of Rayong residents who oppose construction of the plant.

They threatened to rally again on Saturday in Rayong, but said they would first wait for a reply from the government.

The Nation