Thread: Bangkok - Thai troops crack down on protest

Military patrols began appearing in Bangkok on Sunday

Shots have been heard in the Thai capital, Bangkok, where soldiers have moved to disperse anti-government protesters at a major junction. A Reuters reporter on the Viphavadi-Rangsit thoroughfare saw protesters hurling stones and retreating into side streets as troops advanced.

An army spokesman said troops were using tear gas in the operation close to the landmark Victory Monument.
Reports suggest several people have been hurt in clashes. Emergency services told AFP news agency that 18 people had been injured at the site early on Monday.

'Soft measures'
An army spokesman, Col Sunsern Kaewkumnerd, said about 400 soldiers had moved against some 300 protesters at Din Daeng intersection. Some protesters had responded by driving a car at the soldiers, he told AFP. "We will start with soft measures and proceed to harder ones," the army spokesman added.

"We will avoid loss of life as instructed by the government."

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Thai troops crack down on protest

Own goal, again!

the country is being taken hostage by 300 fucking reds ? is that a popular uprising ?

where are the others ? hiding ? where are the hundred of thousands that Thaksin called for revolt ?

Shooting reported in Bangkok
Posted 17 minutes ago


Clashes reported: A state of emergency was declared in Thailand last night
(AFP: Nicolas Asfouri)

The Thai army has started a crackdown on anti-Government protesters in Bangkok, with reports that troops and protesters have fired on one another.

Troops have moved to secure a major junction, forcing back hundreds of demonstrators, who have thrown stones and retreated to side streets.

An army spokesman said soldiers trying to clear a main road in the city were shot at by protesters before dawn, and fired back.

Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd told a radio station that troops fired into the air first in response to tear gas and smoke bombs thrown at them by protesters but then fired real bullets.

A spokesman for Bangkok emergency services says at least 49 people have been injured in the crackdown.

The anti-Government protesters had been defying a state of emergency by continuing their protests in Bangkok, spurred on by their success in shutting down the East Asia Summit at the weekend.

Last night they took over key areas of the city but there were no clashes with military despite threats by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva that he was going to get tough with those breaking the law.

The red-shirted protesters want Mr Abhisit to step down and call new elections.

Mr Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency in a midnight speech to the Thai cabinet yesterday, calling on people to respect the rule of law.

"I want to tell the people not to panic and to understand the work of the police and the soldiers who are working within the law and the emergency decree," he said.

Travel warning

Meanwhile, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs has updated its travel advice for Thailand due to political instability and the threat of terrorist attacks.

The department says it continues to receive reports that terrorists may be planning attacks on foreigners in tourist areas.

Although the overall warning level has not changed, Australians travelling in Thailand are urged to exercise a high degree of caution.

The 'golden time'

Mr Abhisit has been in office for just four months, and replaced the government voted in by the red-shirted protesters.

Their leader is Thaksin Shinawatra, the convicted former prime minister who lives in exile, and who is once again appealing for more protesters to come out.

In a phone-in to the rally site at Government House, he told them now was the "golden time" to rise up.

He told the people to be strong to fight for democracy and for future generations.

He praised the work of the red shirts in Pattaya for shutting down the East Asia Summit.

About 600 protesters were able to force their way into the hotel where 13 regional heads of state including, China's Wen Jiabao, were meeting with Prime Minister Abhisit.

The Asian leaders had to scramble to leave the venue.

xxx.xxx.xx

UPDATE: 49 Injured In Bangkok Protest Crackdown - Officials
04-12-09
(Updates with tear gas, injuries, adds protesters drive car at soldiers)

BANGKOK (AFP)--Thai soldiers fired shots in the air and tear gas early Monday to disperse anti-government protesters blocking a road in Bangkok, where a state of emergency is in force, injuring at least 49 people, officials said.

The army targeted demonstrators at a major intersection, who threw molotov cocktails and stones, although they hadn't yet launched an operation against the main group of thousands of demonstrators outside the main government offices in the capital.

It came a day after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva issued an emergency decree for Bangkok and surrounding areas to curb growing protests against his four-month-old government.

"The soldiers have begun the operation to disperse the protesters at Din Daeng intersection," army spokesman Col. Sunsern Kaewkumnerd said.

"We will start with soft measures and proceed to harder ones. We will avoid loss of life as instructed by the government."

He later confirmed soldiers used tear gas.

"Soldiers have fired tear gas to disperse them. More than 400 soldiers are involved in the operation," Sunsern said.

"The operation is still under way. Protesters tried to crash a car into the soldiers," he added, although this couldn't be independently be confirmed.

Sunsern estimated there were around 300 protesters at the site. Another army official said there were only about 100 protesters there.

The protesters were angry and showed a shirt covered with blood which they said belonged to one of their injured colleagues.

Emergency services said at least 49 people were injured, two of them critically, during the crackdown.

"The number of wounded rose to 49. I can confirm that there are no reports of deaths yet," Chatree Charoencheewakul, head of the national emergency medical service, said.

The so-called "Red-Shirts," supporters of ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, stormed a conference venue in the resort of Pattaya on Saturday, forcing the cancellation of a key summit of Asian leaders.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

nasdaq.com

^ I also noticed a few soldiers being carried away on stretches as well as reports from foreign correspondants that the red shirts started throwing petrol bombs and other missiles at the army troops.

I wonder when Aphisit is going to send in the real soldiers and not the apprentices!

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

I wonder when Aphisit is going to send in the real soldiers and not the apprentices!

He is cold, not trying to make things worse.

Sacrificing a few apprentices is still better than sending the marines for dealing with 300 Laos Issaan gangsters

Mr Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency in a midnight speech to the Thai cabinet yesterday, calling on people to respect the rule of law.

pity ya didn't think about that during the International Airport closure .............

^ Yes there is certainly a gross double standard going down at the moment which will probably end Aphisit's political career no matter what happens.

I always thought he was the whipping boy put in a position that no way in the world he could handle.

Unfortunately I think he is probably a capable person, seems sincere and has the backing of a lot of Thais but his chance seems to be coming to an end.

Again the backroom boys have distroyed what could of been a brilliant political career.

Originally Posted by Butterfly

Sacrificing a few apprentices is still better than sending the marines for dealing with 300 Laos Issaan gangsters

There are marines and then there are sub marines

At least 68 wounded in army-protester clash in Bangkok_English_Xinhua

At least 68 wounded in army-protester clash in Bangkok

BANGKOK, April 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 68 wounded when hundreds of army soldiers and anti-government protesters clashed in Bangkok early Monday morning, 14 hours after Thai PM declared a state of emergency in the capital city, Bangkok health department said.
The clash occurred around 4:30 a.m. Monday (2100 GMT Sunday) when some 300 so-called red-shirted protesters used a seized bus to crash soldiers stationed at Din Daeng District in north Bangkok, Army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd told TPBS.
Soldiers fired warning shots into the air and used teargas to disperse the protesters after failing to persuade the "red-shirts" to stop, Sansern said.
The Health Department of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration announced Monday that a total of 68 people were injured. All of them were discharged except two at the Rajvithi and another two at Ramathibodi Hospital. No deaths were reported so far, he said.
Earlier, a doctor with the Narenthorn Emergency Medical Institutue, Thailand's national emergency body, put the wounded number at 49.
Sansern also said the situation, to some extent, has been brought under control.
"Similar operations will be carried out in other areas," he said.
Army Chief General Anupong Paojinda refused to comment on the incident, adding that he will learn more about it first.
At about 6:15 a.m. (2315 GMT Sunday), ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra told the "red-shirts" to continue fighting in a phone conversation with a core leader of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD).
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared on Sunday afternoon a state of emergency in Bangkok and some districts of five provinces nearby, citing the escalating violence of red-shirted protesters.
The latest round of the anti-government protests led by UDD, has entered its 19th day.
Red-shirted protesters on Saturday stormed the venue of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit and related summits in Pattaya, and forced the summits canceled.

I dont see the coalition holding if the military kills many

I am wondering if the Thais and the rest of the world are noticing the double standard being applied. The yellow shirts were given a pass for sure.

In my book, Thailand has just been filed into the Burma and China - Tibet folder. An absolute disgrace.

Harpers Ferry?

The Associated Press: Thai soldiers, anti-government protesters clash

Thai soldiers, anti-government protesters clash

BANGKOK (AP) — Thai soldiers unleashed hundreds of rounds of automatic weapons fire to clear rock-throwing anti-government protesters from a major intersection in the capital in the pre-dawn darkness Monday.Forty-nine people were reported hurt in the first serious clash between the two sides in ongoing protests that have roiled this southeast Asian nation and came a day after the country's ousted prime minister called for a revolution.
While the government has declared a state of emergency, protesters controlled many streets in the capital Bangkok. They had earlier commandeered public buses and swarmed triumphantly over military vehicles in defiance.
In the starkest example of the chaos, a mob of the red-shirted protesters smashed cars carrying Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his aides.
The clash began between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. Monday, as troops in full combat gear lined up and advanced to disperse the protesters, according to witnesses and television footage.
The soldiers fired hundreds of rounds from their M-16 automatic rifles as they advanced, though it was unclear whether they were firing at or over the protesters. Some witnesses said tear gas was also fired.
The official Erawan emergency coordination center said 49 people were injured on both sides and taken to hospitals.
Protesters set fires that were still burning 1- 1/2 hours later and retreated into side streets near the Din Daeng intersection, where there is an on-ramp to the main expressway leading north from the capital.
The clash appeared to be an isolated one, taking place several miles away from the main encampment of thousands of protesters outside the prime minister's offices.
Police Gen. Vichai Sangparpai said up to 30,000 demonstrators were scattered around the city. Police vans at some intersections were abandoned and looted. Protesters used buses to barricade several major roads.
Ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, regarded by most of the protesters as their leader, called for a revolution and said he might return from exile to lead it.
Thaksin fled the country last year, before a court convicted him in absentia of violating a conflict of interest law.
"Now that they have tanks on the streets, it is time for the people to come out in revolution. And when it is necessary, I will come back to the country," he said in a telephoned message to followers outside Abhisit's office.
The message was broadcast over a video link projected on giant screens and relayed on supporters' Internet sites.
Political tensions have simmered since Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in 2006 for alleged corruption and abuse of power. He remains popular in the impoverished countryside for his populist policies.
His opponents — many in urban areas — took to the streets last year to help bring down two pro-Thaksin governments, seizing Bangkok's two airports in November for about a week.
The emergency decree bans gatherings of more than five people, forbids news reports that threaten public order and allows the government to call up military troops to quell unrest.
Army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd said soldiers and police were being moved to more than 50 key points in the city, including bus and railway stations.
He said the military presence was not a sign of an imminent coup — a common feature of Thai political history.
Abhisit, speaking in a nationally televised address just before midnight, called on the public not to panic and to cooperate to end the crisis.
"In the next three to four days, the government will keep working to return peace and order to the country," he said.
Protests were also reported in several provinces of northern and northeastern Thailand. The protests could prompt the military to intervene — a high possibility in a country that has experienced 18 military coups since the 1930s.
In an apparent attempt to dispel speculation of a breakdown in the security chain of command, Abhisit was flanked by Cabinet members and top military and police officers during the address.
"They have tried to spread the rumor that there is no unity in the operation of (security) officials," he said. "We will try to continuously communicate correct information to the public."
His government suffered a major humiliation Saturday when it failed to stop hundreds of demonstrators from storming the venue of a 16-nation Asian summit, forcing its cancellation and the evacuation of the leaders by helicopter and boat.
There were signs Sunday that the government might again not be able to contain the protesters.
Demonstrators swarmed over two armored personnel carriers outside a luxury shopping mall, waving flags in celebration. An old lady atop one of the vehicles screamed "Democracy!"
Outside the Interior Ministry, a mob attacked Abhisit's car with poles, a ladder and flower pots as it slowly made its escape. At least six people were injured, including two security guards for Abhisit. Police in riot gear did nothing.
"The government can't do anything," said Lada Yingmanee, a 37-year-old protester. "We will show them what tens of thousands of unarmed civilians can do. The people will finally rule our beloved Thailand."
Demonstrators from the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship say Abhisit's four-month-old government took power illegitimately and want new elections. They also accuse the country's elite — the military, judiciary and other unelected officials — of undermining democracy by interfering in politics.
Parliament appointed Abhisit in December after a court ordered the removal of the previous pro-Thaksin government for election fraud, sparking Thaksin supporters to take to the streets. Their numbers grew to 100,000 in Bangkok last week.

A true people's uprising cannot be contained forever. If this carries on much longer, & the people sense that they have a chance of winning, then they will need to begin evacuating the hi-so's.

The hi-so trash will probably be queuing up at the airports. No sympathy for them at all. Hopefully these overlords will be sent on their way.

Originally Posted by chitown

I am wondering if the Thais and the rest of the world are noticing the double standard being applied. The yellow shirts were given a pass for sure.

In my book, Thailand has just been filed into the Burma and China - Tibet folder. An absolute disgrace.

We all knew it was going to end up this way. The elite rulers control the military, the judiciary and this government. What hope do the oppressed poor have against such a crooked regime.

One can only hope that there will be a backlash as aresult of this to unseat this corrupt dictatorship sooner or later. Unfortunately I dont see that happening for perhaps decades yet unless there is a split in the military.

that's rich, comparing Thailand to Burma. I mean do you have any idea what that Burma regime is like ???

speak of hyperboling and projecting, you guys should work for the CIA

Here is what I get from this: Thailand is, and remains, screwed. From the current happenings, no good can arise. T returns would be certainly one of the worst outcomes imaginable, Army coup would throw the country backwards again and not solve anything. I guess the least worst outcome would be if the government somehow survives this period but I don't know how. Red shirts are bad, yellow shirts are bad...

I am hoping for the emergence of something new and unexpected. Maybe the monks rise against all the violence... maybe a true people's uprising.. I am sure the vast majority of people in this country just wants the insanity to stop, all they're lacking is a leader.

Then all the police needs to be fired. I don't think it will happen here but that's what happened in Georgia. The President there wanted to solve the traffic police corruption, and he did - by firing the whole lot.

I don't post much about Thai political issues but what I'm seeing here is a massive double standard as Chitown pointed out. Bangkok is not Thailand and apart from the few in in the capital, it is the will of the Thai people to have a free, democratic vote.

I am in Maha Sarakham right now and I can tell you what I have been told. They totally understand about the corruption under Taksin but for them he is the best of a bad bunch....He seems to care for the working classes and has done more for them than anyone, even Elvis. One old man showed me his daughter who had cervical cancer. She is alive today only because of Taksin's health scheme. He had tears in his eyes when he spoke to me. I'm not trying to be sensationalist but when was they last time you saw a Thai man cry...To a farang.

I certainly have underestimated the feeling of the people.

And a parrot says

One can only hope that there will be a backlash as aresult of this to unseat this corrupt dictatorship sooner or later. Unfortunately I dont see that happening for perhaps decades yet unless there is a split in the military.

How quaint an idea, seems like I have been hearing this for years.

Lots of pics here



Thailand - Yahoo! News Photos