DFA: No Filipinos affected by Thailand unrest

Anti-government protesters fill the circle during a rally at the Victory Monument in Bangkok, Thailand Monday, Jan. 13, 2014. AP

MANILA, Philippines – No Filipinos in Thailand have been affected by the ongoing anti-government protests, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Monday.

“There have been no reports of Filipinos whose security or work has been adversely affected by the protests there,” DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a press conference.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Bangkok Monday seeking to paralyze the capital and pressure Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to step down.

The protests stemmed from allegations that Shinawatra was helping her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, to get out of corruption charges after he was ousted in a military coup in 2006.

Supporters of Yingluck’s administration have also held rallies to show solidarity with the government. Clashes have often erupted between the two groups over the past months with resulting casualties and injuries.

There are 16,303 permanent, temporary and irregular Filipinos in Thailand as of December 2012 according to the Commission on Filipinos Overseas.

“We continue to monitor the situation in Bangkok,” Hernandez said.

Filipinos have previously been urged by the Philippine Embassy in Bangkok to avoid large crowds and areas that are occupied by demonstrators.

It also urged Filipinos to avoid wearing red and yellow colors as these are identified with the pro-government and anti-government protesters.

Red and yellow colors also carry significant political meaning in the Philippines. Red was identified with former president Ferdinand Marcos while yellow was the symbol used by democracy icon Corazon Aquino, wife of the slain Benigno Aquino Jr.

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