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July 18 (Reuters) – The death toll from an attack in southwestern Baghdad by a suicide bomber on a group of government-backed Sunni militiamen reached at least 39, with around 41 wounded, Iraqi police said on Sunday.
The blast occurred as the men, who once fought with al Qaeda against U.S. forces but switched allegiance in 2006/07, were collecting wages outside a military base. (Reporting by Reuters Television; writing by Michael Christie; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
JALALABAD REGION/BISHKEK, April 11 (Reuters) – Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, ousted in an uprising last week, told Reuters on Sunday he would not resign and that any attempt to kill him would “drown Kyrgyzstan in blood”. The leader of the new interim government, meanwhile, said Bakiyev could be put on trial for responsibility for the killings of at least 81 people during the rebellion against him.
The April 7 revolt in the Central Asian nation, where the United States operates an important military base, forced Bakiyev to flee to his southern home region, locking him in a standoff with the self-proclaimed government in Bishkek.
Citing security concerns, Washington has stopped troops flying to Afghanistan via the air base outside the capital. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
For more stories on Kyrgyzstan, click on [ID:nLDE6360UW] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Speaking in a traditional “yurt” tent in Jalalabad region, Bakiyev, 60, told Reuters he did not recognise the legitimacy of the interim government but was prepared for talks.
“I would like to warn those who are now hunting for me: don’t be contract killers, because this will only bring huge tragedy to the country,” he said.
“We will drown (Kyrgyzstan) in blood if they opt for physical elimination. If they use force, then those people surrounding me will not let it happen, and this will mean bloodshed.”
A mountainous Muslim nation bordering China, Kyrgyzstan’s $4.7 billion economy has attracted little foreign investment since winning independence from the Soviet Union, but the United States and Russia are jostling for influence in Central Asia.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke by phone on Saturday with interim government head Roza Otunbayeva, in the first high-level U.S. contact with the new leadership.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was the first world leader to recognise Otunbayeva’s authority, holding a phone conversation just hours after the opposition took power.
Once a key Bakiyev ally who helped propel him to power in an earlier revolution in 2005, Otunbayeva told Reuters in an interview she would not use force against Bakiyev but spoke of arresting him to put him on trial for the deaths.
“Bakiyev has to understand that he is stuck in a deadlock,” Otunbayeva said on Sunday. “When he is arrested then … it will be possible to carry out an investigation and question him within the framework of law.”
She added: “What he did calls for a serious trial”. Otunbayeva has accused Bakiyev’s supporters of stoking violence in the aftermath of the uprising.
VIOLENCE
The self-proclaimed government has said Russia is its key ally and some leading ministers have said the U.S. lease on the base could be shortened, raising speculation that Moscow could try to use the base as a lever in relations with Washington.
Pentagon officials say the Manas air base is key to the war against the Taliban, allowing round-the-clock flights in and out of Afghanistan. Some 50,000 troops passed through it last month.
In the call with Clinton, Otunbayeva pledged to honour agreements on the Manas base.
During the night of April 7-8, troops loyal to Bakiyev shot into crowds of thousands of protesters besieging the presidential White House, killing dozens.
Many protesters, armed with weapons seized from Bakiyev’s security forces, fought back, and witnesses said some people may have been killed in the ensuing crossfire, witnesses said.
Bakiyev said he had not ordered the shootings of protesters and that his troops had retaliated immediately after a sniper shot at him in his office in the presidential White House.
“I have not fled (the country) because, first of all, I do not feel any guilt,” he said. He added, however, that he felt regret as president for being unable to prevent the deaths.
“I invite an independent, international commission to investigate these tragic events of April 7-8, because there cannot be any trust in all these investigative bodies that have launched criminal proceedings against me.”
He said U.N. peacekeeping forces were necessary to prevent “continuing chaos” in Kyrgyzstan.
Bakiyev’s brother and presidential bodyguard Dzhanibek Bakiyev said on Sunday he had given the order to guards to shoot at armed protesters and towards the legs of people throwing stones.
“I gave the order to shoot at those with weapons,” Dzhanibek Bakiyev told Russia’s RIA news agency in an interview in Kyrgyzstan’s Jalalabad region, where the president is in hiding.
Otunbayeva warned that her government could not vouch for Bakiyev’s security against those seeking revenge.
“To be honest we can hardly restrain those who are ready to rush there (Bakiyev’s stronghold) with rifles,” she said.
“Everyone among those killed has relatives and friends. There are people who want revenge. It’s a very sensitive situation. You must understand that we won’t be able guarantee his security ourselves.” (Writing by Maria Golovnina and Guy Faulconbridge; additional reporting by Olga Dzyubenko in Bishkek; Editing by Jon Hemming)
(Reuters) – Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, ousted in an uprising last week, told Reuters on Sunday he would not resign and that any attempt to kill him would “drown Kyrgyzstan in blood.” The leader of the new interim government, meanwhile, said Bakiyev could be put on trial for responsibility for the killings of at least 81 people during the rebellion against him.
World
The April 7 revolt in the Central Asian nation, where the United States operates an important military base, forced Bakiyev to flee to his southern home region, locking him in a standoff with the self-proclaimed government in Bishkek.
Citing security concerns, Washington has stopped troops flying to Afghanistan via the air base outside the capital.
Speaking in a traditional “yurt” tent in Jalalabad region, Bakiyev, 60, told Reuters he did not recognize the legitimacy of the interim government but was prepared for talks.
“I would like to warn those who are now hunting for me: don’t be contract killers, because this will only bring huge tragedy to the country,” he said.
“We will drown (Kyrgyzstan) in blood if they opt for physical elimination. If they use force, then those people surrounding me will not let it happen, and this will mean bloodshed.”
A mountainous Muslim nation bordering China, Kyrgyzstan’s $4.7 billion economy has attracted little foreign investment since winning independence from the Soviet Union, but the United States and Russia are jostling for influence in Central Asia.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke by phone on Saturday with interim government head Roza Otunbayeva, in the first high-level U.S. contact with the new leadership.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was the first world leader to recognize Otunbayeva’s authority, holding a phone conversation just hours after the opposition took power.
Once a key Bakiyev ally who helped propel him to power in an earlier revolution in 2005, Otunbayeva told Reuters in an interview she would not use force against Bakiyev but spoke of arresting him to put him on trial for the deaths.
“Bakiyev has to understand that he is stuck in a deadlock,” Otunbayeva said on Sunday. “When he is arrested then … it will be possible to carry out an investigation and question him within the framework of law.”
She added: “What he did calls for a serious trial.” Otunbayeva has accused Bakiyev’s supporters of stoking violence in the aftermath of the uprising.
VIOLENCE
The self-proclaimed government has said Russia is its key ally and some leading ministers have said the U.S. lease on the base could be shortened, raising speculation that Moscow could try to use the base as a lever in relations with Washington.
Pentagon officials say the Manas air base is key to the war against the Taliban, allowing round-the-clock flights in and out of Afghanistan. Some 50,000 troops passed through it last month.
In the call with Clinton, Otunbayeva pledged to honor agreements on the Manas base.
During the night of April 7-8, troops loyal to Bakiyev shot into crowds of thousands of protesters besieging the presidential White House, killing dozens.
Many protesters, armed with weapons seized from Bakiyev’s security forces, fought back, and witnesses said some people may have been killed in the ensuing crossfire, witnesses said.
Bakiyev said he had not ordered the shootings of protesters and that his troops had retaliated immediately after a sniper shot at him in his office in the presidential White House.
“I have not fled (the country) because, first of all, I do not feel any guilt,” he said. He added, however, that he felt regret as president for being unable to prevent the deaths.
“I invite an independent, international commission to investigate these tragic events of April 7-8, because there cannot be any trust in all these investigative bodies that have launched criminal proceedings against me.”
He said U.N. peacekeeping forces were necessary to prevent “continuing chaos” in Kyrgyzstan.
But Otunbayeva warned that her government could not vouch for Bakiyev’s security against those seeking revenge.
“To be honest we can hardly restrain those who are ready to rush there (Bakiyev’s stronghold) with rifles,” she said.
“Everyone among those killed has relatives and friends. There are people who want revenge. It’s a very sensitive situation. You must understand that we won’t be able guarantee his security ourselves.”
(Writing by Maria Golovnina and Guy Faulconbridge; additional reporting by Olga Dzyubenko in Bishkek; Editing by Jon Hemming)
(Reuters) – Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, ousted in an uprising last week, told Reuters on Sunday he would not resign and that any attempt to kill him would “drown Kyrgyzstan in blood.” The leader of the new interim government, meanwhile, said Bakiyev could be put on trial for responsibility for the killings of at least 81 people during the rebellion against him.
World
The April 7 revolt in the Central Asian nation, where the United States operates an important military base, forced Bakiyev to flee to his southern home region, locking him in a standoff with the self-proclaimed government in Bishkek.
Citing security concerns, Washington has stopped troops flying to Afghanistan via the air base outside the capital.
Speaking in a traditional “yurt” tent in Jalalabad region, Bakiyev, 60, told Reuters he did not recognize the legitimacy of the interim government but was prepared for talks.
“I would like to warn those who are now hunting for me: don’t be contract killers, because this will only bring huge tragedy to the country,” he said.
“We will drown (Kyrgyzstan) in blood if they opt for physical elimination. If they use force, then those people surrounding me will not let it happen, and this will mean bloodshed.”
A mountainous Muslim nation bordering China, Kyrgyzstan’s $4.7 billion economy has attracted little foreign investment since winning independence from the Soviet Union, but the United States and Russia are jostling for influence in Central Asia.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke by phone on Saturday with interim government head Roza Otunbayeva, in the first high-level U.S. contact with the new leadership.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was the first world leader to recognize Otunbayeva’s authority, holding a phone conversation just hours after the opposition took power.
Once a key Bakiyev ally who helped propel him to power in an earlier revolution in 2005, Otunbayeva told Reuters in an interview she would not use force against Bakiyev but spoke of arresting him to put him on trial for the deaths.
“Bakiyev has to understand that he is stuck in a deadlock,” Otunbayeva said on Sunday. “When he is arrested then … it will be possible to carry out an investigation and question him within the framework of law.”
She added: “What he did calls for a serious trial.” Otunbayeva has accused Bakiyev’s supporters of stoking violence in the aftermath of the uprising.
VIOLENCE
The self-proclaimed government has said Russia is its key ally and some leading ministers have said the U.S. lease on the base could be shortened, raising speculation that Moscow could try to use the base as a lever in relations with Washington.
Pentagon officials say the Manas air base is key to the war against the Taliban, allowing round-the-clock flights in and out of Afghanistan. Some 50,000 troops passed through it last month.
In the call with Clinton, Otunbayeva pledged to honor agreements on the Manas base.
During the night of April 7-8, troops loyal to Bakiyev shot into crowds of thousands of protesters besieging the presidential White House, killing dozens.
Many protesters, armed with weapons seized from Bakiyev’s security forces, fought back, and witnesses said some people may have been killed in the ensuing crossfire, witnesses said.
Bakiyev said he had not ordered the shootings of protesters and that his troops had retaliated immediately after a sniper shot at him in his office in the presidential White House.
“I have not fled (the country) because, first of all, I do not feel any guilt,” he said. He added, however, that he felt regret as president for being unable to prevent the deaths.
“I invite an independent, international commission to investigate these tragic events of April 7-8, because there cannot be any trust in all these investigative bodies that have launched criminal proceedings against me.”
He said U.N. peacekeeping forces were necessary to prevent “continuing chaos” in Kyrgyzstan.
But Otunbayeva warned that her government could not vouch for Bakiyev’s security against those seeking revenge.
“To be honest we can hardly restrain those who are ready to rush there (Bakiyev’s stronghold) with rifles,” she said.
“Everyone among those killed has relatives and friends. There are people who want revenge. It’s a very sensitive situation. You must understand that we won’t be able guarantee his security ourselves.”
(Writing by Maria Golovnina and Guy Faulconbridge; additional reporting by Olga Dzyubenko in Bishkek; Editing by Jon Hemming)
BISHKEK, April 8 (Reuters) – The head of Kyrgyzstan’s self-proclaimed government on Thursday said it would keep an existing agreement to allow the United States operate a military air transit base.
“Its status quo will remain in place. We still have some questions on it. Give us time and we will listen to all the sides and solve everything,” said Roza Otunbayeva, who led opposition to President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s government, from inside the country’s parliament building.
The United States has a military air base supporting troops in Afghanistan in the Kyrgyz city of Manas and is a major donor to Kyrgyzstan. (Reporting by Maria Golovnina; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Conor Sweeney; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Thailand declared a state of emergency in the capital on Wednesday after protesters stormed parliament, forcing government officials to flee by helicopter in an increasingly bold, four-week-old attempt to force elections.
The red-shirted supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra retreated from parliament, but tens of thousands have remained in Bangkok’s main shopping district since Saturday, defying Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s orders to leave.
Protesters immediately threatened to challenge the decree, which gives the army broad powers, lets the authorities suspend certain civil liberties, bans public gatherings of more than five people and stops media reporting news that “causes panic”.
“We will declare war,” Arisman Pongruangrong, a protest leader, told supporters, urging followers in rural provinces to mass at city halls. “No more negotiations,” he said.
The “red shirts” say that on Friday they will hold their biggest protest yet. But military checkpoints would be set up oustside Bangkok to stop any from entering the city, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said on television.
Despite the security clampdown, a crowd of up to 50,000 in the shopping district cheered and applauded fiery speeches by “red shirt” leaders into the night. Many had no plans to leave and were setting up to sleep, some on cardboard boxes.
Suthep said soldiers would be dispatched to guard key areas. That came after Abhisit, operating from a military base doubling as a safe house, assured the public he would not use force.
“The government’s goal is to help the situation return to a normal way of life, to maintain the sanctity of the law,” he said in a televised statement hours after the siege of parliament.
The scene outside parliament was among the most chaotic and confrontational since the protests began on March 12.
Protesters massing outside the gates of the sprawling complex pressed up against a line of police in full riot gear. When some “red shirts” forced open the iron gate, police melted away and hundreds swarmed into the grounds, including dozens packed on a truck that drove through the main entrance.
They pressed up against security forces outside the lobby doors but left after about 20 minutes, only to regroup outside the gates, brandishing guns and tear gas canisters they said were seized in scuffles with military police.
Ministers had earlier held a cabinet meeting at parliament.
Some, including Abhisit, had left before the protesters broke through, but Suthep and several other ministers had to scale a wall in the compound and escape by military helicopter.
“We have achieved our mission today,” Korkaew Pikulthong, a “red shirt” leader, told the crowd through a bullhorn.
Despite the tension, Thai stocks and the baht currency rose on confidence the government, with support from the military and the royalist establishment, would survive the showdown with the mostly rural and working class protesters.
“INTOLERABLE”
Foreign investors have been ploughing money into the fast-recovering economies of Southeast Asia and have not left Thailand out despite the turbulence. Since Feb. 22, foreigners have bought a net $1.73 billion of Thai stocks.
However, Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said prolonged protests could cause growth in the economy, Southeast Asia’s second biggest, to be “significantly worse” than a government projection of 4.5 percent. And the unrest could also delay an expected interest rate rise.
Another month of protests, he said, “… would be intolerable, not only to the economy as a whole but for the sanity of Bangkokians”.
Abhisit faces pressure from Bangkok’s elite and middle class and even his own government to halt the rally, but has held back to avert a confrontation many believe would cause greater damage.
Threats to arrest the protesters have not been carried out, emboldening a movement that has tapped an undercurrent of frustration over a level of income disparity that ranks among Asia’s widest, according to World Bank statistics..
Army chief Anupong Paojinda, central in Thailand’s balance of power, said there was no justification to use force to disperse the crowds, an unidentified source told the Bangkok Post.
“We can’t since it will cause losses,” the source quoted Anupong as telling the prime minister. “They all are Thais.”
The “red shirts” have taken aim at the urbane, 45-year-old Oxford-educated Abhisit, whom they see as a front man for an unelected elite and military intervening in politics and operating with impunity.
They say Abhisit lacks a popular mandate after coming to power in a 2008 parliamentary vote following a court ruling that dissolved a pro-Thaksin ruling party. They want immediate elections that Thaksin’s allies would be well placed to win.
They have won new support from Bangkok’s urban poor but have angered middle classes, many of whom regard them as misguided slaves to Thaksin, a wily telecoms tycoon who fled into exile to avoid a jail term for graft.
Abhisit has offered to dissolve parliament in December, a year early. On Wednesday, he cancelled a trip to Washington next week to attend an international nuclear summit, although he planned to join a regional leaders summit in Hanoi on Thursday.
(Additional reporting by Vithoon Amorn; Editing by Alan Raybould and Ron Popeski)
Mon, Mar 29 10:30 AM
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva held talks with protest leaders on Sunday in an effort to defuse growing tension and avert possible confrontation after protesters intensified their drive to topple the government.
Abhisit held almost three hours of televised talks with leaders of the movement, who broadly support twice-elected former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, but there was no sign of progress toward ending the deadlock.
The embattled premier, who has spent much of the past two weeks at a military base, has refused to bow to demands for a new election, arguing that the country is too divided to go to the polls.
He smiled and promptly concluded the talks after one leader, Jatuporn Prompan, asked him to dissolve parliament within two weeks. “I don’t think we need to have ultimatums or deadlines,” Abhisit said.
“I’m willing to have more talk like this, hopefully a second round, a third round and you can protest all you want. If we try to draw a dividing line, things will not be over,” he added.
After two weeks of peaceful rallies, the “red shirts” have stepped up their campaign to topple the government with a new level of brinkmanship that has raised tension and stoked fears of clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
Abhisit agreed to meet the leaders after tens of thousands of protesters rallied outside the military command center where he has based himself.
They were close to entering Abhisit’s office compound on Saturday, having forced thousands of troops to pack up and leave eight sites around the city’s historic heart.
They stepped up the protest tempo two days after Thaksin, the ousted, exiled premier who is assumed to be their leader and financier, called for a campaign of “civil disobedience.”
Securities analysts said the raising of the stakes was unlikely to dampen the mood of foreign investors who have piled into Thailand’s stock market, one of Asia’s cheapest.
They were net buyers for a 24th straight session on Friday, adding to the $1.5 billion of inflows since February 22.
But the protests highlight a deepening divide in Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy, which has made some investors think twice about longer-term expansion in a country once seen as a safe bet for business.
MYSTERIOUS ATTACKS
The threat of unrest and a slew of mysterious but non-fatal grenade attacks and small bombings have left the city of 15 million people on edge. No one has claimed responsibility.
Grenade attacks late on Saturday and early Sunday on three state or army-run television stations and the military base where Abhisit took refuge wounded 12 soldiers and 4 civilians.
Late on Sunday, gunmen opened fire on a branch of Bangkok Bank, shattering windows.
Analysts have said Abhisit, strongly backed by the military and Thailand’s establishment elites, is unlikely to make any real concessions and predicted talks would be fruitless.
The talks were due to resume on Monday evening.
The “red shirts” have accused him of being a stooge of the anti-Thaksin army top brass, who they say engineered political defections that helped Abhisit form a government. He denies that and says his rule is legitimate.
When protest leaders raised the issue of military intervention in politics, television stations censored the discussion.
The Oxford-educated Abhisit, who came to power in a parliamentary vote in December 2008 after the pro-Thaksin ruling party was disbanded, must call a new election by the end of next year, and analysts say Thaksin’s allies are likely to win it.
Abhisit told the protest leaders he would not necessarily wait until the end of his term to call fresh polls, adding that dissolving parliament would not end the crisis.
“I never said that I will be here until the term ends,” he said. “I can guarantee you that whatever benefits the country, that is what I will go for.”
Reuters
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva held talks with protest leaders on Sunday in an effort to defuse growing tension and avert possible confrontation after protesters intensified their drive to topple the government.
Abhisit held almost three hours of televised talks with leaders of the movement, who broadly support twice-elected former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, but there was no sign of progress towards ending the deadlock.
The embattled premier, who has spent much of the past two weeks at a military base, has refused to bow to demands for a new election, arguing that the country is too divided to go to the polls.
He smiled and promptly concluded the talks after one leader, Jatuporn Prompan, asked him to dissolve parliament within two weeks. “I don’t think we need to have ultimatums or deadlines,” Abhisit said.
“I’m willing to have more talk like this, hopefully a second round, a third round and you can protest all you want. If we try to draw a dividing line, things will not be over,” he added.
After two weeks of peaceful rallies, the “red shirts” have stepped up their campaign to topple the government with a new level of brinkmanship that has raised tension and stoked fears of clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
Abhisit agreed to meet the leaders after tens of thousands of protesters rallied outside the military command centre where he has based himself.
They were close to entering Abhisit’s office compound on Saturday, having forced thousands of troops to pack up and leave eight sites around the city’s historic heart.
They stepped up the protest tempo two days after Thaksin, the ousted, exiled premier who is assumed to be their leader and financier, called for a campaign of “civil disobedience”.
Securities analysts said the raising of the stakes was unlikely to dampen the mood of foreign investors who have piled into Thailand’s stock market, one of Asia’s cheapest.
They were net buyers for a 24th straight session on Friday, adding to the $1.5 billion of inflows since Feb. 22.
But the protests highlight a deepening divide in Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy, which has made some investors think twice about longer-term expansion in a country once seen as a safe bet for business.
MYSTERIOUS ATTACKS
The threat of unrest and a slew of mysterious but non-fatal grenade attacks and small bombings have left the city of 15 million people on edge. No one has claimed responsibility.
Grenade attacks late on Saturday and early Sunday on three state or army-run television stations and the military base where Abhisit took refuge wounded 12 soldiers and 4 civilians.
Late on Sunday, gunmen opened fire on a branch of Bangkok Bank
Analysts have said Abhisit, strongly backed by the military and Thailand’s establishment elites, is unlikely to make any real concessions and predicted talks would be fruitless.
The talks were due to resume on Monday evening.
The “red shirts” have accused him of being a stooge of the anti-Thaksin army top brass, who they say engineered political defections that helped Abhisit form a government. He denies that and says his rule is legitimate.
When protest leaders raised the issue of military intervention in politics, television stations censored the discussion.
The Oxford-educated Abhisit, who came to power in a parliamentary vote in December 2008 after the pro-Thaksin ruling party was disbanded, must call a new election by the end of next year, and analysts say Thaksin’s allies are likely to win it.
Abhisit told the protest leaders he would not necessarily wait until the end of his term to call fresh polls, adding that dissolving parliament would not end the crisis.
“I never said that I will be here until the term ends,” he said. “I can guarantee you that whatever benefits the country, that is what I will go for.”
(Writing by Martin Petty; editing by Tim Pearce)
(Reuters) – Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva held talks with protest leaders on Sunday in an effort to defuse growing tension and avert possible confrontation after protesters intensified their drive to topple the government.
World
Abhisit held almost three hours of televised talks with leaders of the movement, who broadly support twice-elected former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, but there was no sign of progress toward ending the deadlock.
The embattled premier, who has spent much of the past two weeks at a military base, has refused to bow to demands for a new election, arguing that the country is too divided to go to the polls.
He smiled and promptly concluded the talks after one leader, Jatuporn Prompan, asked him to dissolve parliament within two weeks. “I don’t think we need to have ultimatums or deadlines,” Abhisit said.
“I’m willing to have more talk like this, hopefully a second round, a third round and you can protest all you want. If we try to draw a dividing line, things will not be over,” he added.
After two weeks of peaceful rallies, the “red shirts” have stepped up their campaign to topple the government with a new level of brinkmanship that has raised tension and stoked fears of clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
Abhisit agreed to meet the leaders after tens of thousands of protesters rallied outside the military command center where he has based himself.
They were close to entering Abhisit’s office compound on Saturday, having forced thousands of troops to pack up and leave eight sites around the city’s historic heart.
They stepped up the protest tempo two days after Thaksin, the ousted, exiled premier who is assumed to be their leader and financier, called for a campaign of “civil disobedience.”
Securities analysts said the raising of the stakes was unlikely to dampen the mood of foreign investors who have piled into Thailand’s stock market, one of Asia’s cheapest.
They were net buyers for a 24th straight session on Friday, adding to the $1.5 billion of inflows since February 22.
But the protests highlight a deepening divide in Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy, which has made some investors think twice about longer-term expansion in a country once seen as a safe bet for business.
MYSTERIOUS ATTACKS
The threat of unrest and a slew of mysterious but non-fatal grenade attacks and small bombings have left the city of 15 million people on edge. No one has claimed responsibility.
Grenade attacks late on Saturday and early Sunday on three state or army-run television stations and the military base where Abhisit took refuge wounded 12 soldiers and 4 civilians.
Late on Sunday, gunmen opened fire on a branch of Bangkok Bank, shattering windows.
Analysts have said Abhisit, strongly backed by the military and Thailand’s establishment elites, is unlikely to make any real concessions and predicted talks would be fruitless.
The talks were due to resume on Monday evening.
The “red shirts” have accused him of being a stooge of the anti-Thaksin army top brass, who they say engineered political defections that helped Abhisit form a government. He denies that and says his rule is legitimate.
When protest leaders raised the issue of military intervention in politics, television stations censored the discussion.
The Oxford-educated Abhisit, who came to power in a parliamentary vote in December 2008 after the pro-Thaksin ruling party was disbanded, must call a new election by the end of next year, and analysts say Thaksin’s allies are likely to win it.
Abhisit told the protest leaders he would not necessarily wait until the end of his term to call fresh polls, adding that dissolving parliament would not end the crisis.
“I never said that I will be here until the term ends,” he said. “I can guarantee you that whatever benefits the country, that is what I will go for.”
(Writing by Martin Petty; editing by Tim Pearce)
(Reuters) – Streams of Thai “red shirt” protesters converged on Monday on a military base housing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to press him to call a new election, a demand he refused to meet.
World
While the protests by supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra have had no significant impact on Thailand’s stock market so far, the size of the rally and simmering tensions highlight a deep political divide that could hurt growth, consumer confidence and the country’s long-term investment image.
Following are possible scenarios:
GOVERNMENT RIDES OUT PROTESTS; STOCK MARKET RISES
The ability of the “red shirts” to mobilize more than 150,000 rural people has delivered a strong message of public discontent but will probably fail to topple a government backed by the powerful military and establishment elite.
Failure to oust the government would prolong an uneasy status quo, but that has not affected financial markets much in recent weeks, with foreign investors continuing to pour money into relatively cheap Thailand and other regional markets.
However, the rally has illustrated the extent of the polarization, which has made investors think twice about expansion in Thailand over the longer term.
If another pro-Thaksin party eventually returns to power, it will probably face protests of its own, another intervention by the military or the kind of judicial intervention that put paid to pro-Thaksin governments in 2008.
While foreign investors are piling into Thailand’s stock market, foreign companies are less enthusiastic about capital investment and are forecast to cut investment pledges this year by 15 percent.
VIOLENCE ERUPTS BUT QUELLED; NEAR-TERM MARKET VOLATILITY
Violence breaks out, triggered either by “red shirts” or outside agitators keen to stir up trouble to discredit the movement.
This could cause near-term volatility in Thai stocks, with selling by small investors offset by buying by foreign investors focused on longer-term economic fundamentals in a region bouncing back from the financial crisis. Foreign investors helped to drive a 63 percent rise in Thai stocks last year despite violent riots in April. Bond yields could fall on expectations the Bank of Thailand would keep its benchmark rate at a record low of 1.25 percent longer than expected. Economists expect an increase around the middle of the year as the economy recovers.
The likely scenario would see security forces breaking up the rally, handing a public relations victory to the government and further denting the reputation of the “red shirts,” vilified after last year’s riots.
A measured response by the government could bring confidence to investors in the short term but, again, political divisions would continue to cloud the long-term investment outlook, with an election due to be called by the end of next year.
PROTEST CAUSES COALITION TO CRUMBLE; MARKETS TAKE HIT
The mild-tempered protest becomes more heated, piling pressure on the government, increasing tension in the capital and leading to the invoking of an emergency decree. This response could raise questions about the government’s stability and spark a flurry of behind-the-scenes negotiations among the political parties, with Thaksin sure to be involved.
Some of Abhisit’s already disgruntled coalition partners could break away, with money politics prevailing, leading to switches of allegiance to the pro-Thaksin opposition, the Puea Thai Party, which remains popular in the vote-rich countryside.
In this scenario, Puea Thai would table a no-confidence motion against Abhisit, which gets the backing of the house. Puea Thai would then lead a new coalition government.
Markets would fall on concerns about instability that could ensue, given the likelihood a Puea Thai-led government would anger the potent “yellow shirts” movement, increasing the risk of another pro-Thaksin government being toppled and a backlash by supporters of the new administration.
But this scenario remains unlikely due to the staunch backing Abhist enjoys from Thailand’s army, royal advisers and business elites. Coalition partners may not be entirely happy with Abhisit but the likely promise of bigger budgets for them to oversee will keep them onside.
PROTESTS TURN VIOLENT, PM DISSOLVES PARLIAMENT; MARKETS
FALL
Violence ensues, security forces are unable to control the crowd and a state of emergency is declared. Bangkok is paralyzed, government buildings are targeted. A crackdown by the military causes many casualties.
Abhisit is no longer able to govern and announces parliament has been dissolved. He serves as a caretaker until new elections.
This scenario, highly unlikely, could prompt mass selling by local and foreign investors fearful of heightened instability and the potential for more stalemate and unrest.
Faced with the possibility of a pro-Thaksin government winning the election, and the strong chance of another intervention by Thaksin’s powerful opponents, foreign investors would prefer other regional markets with recovering economies and shun Thailand.
(Editing by Alan Raybould and Jerry Norton)
Kabul, July 2 (ANI): A Taliban commander told CBS News Thursday that militants had captured one U.S. soldier and three Afghan nationals in Paktika province, near the Pakistani border.
A U.S. military spokesperson in Kabul confirmed that one soldier has been missing in Afghanistan since June 30.
Captain Elizabeth Mathias told CBS News Thursday, “A U.S. serviceman has been missing in Afghanistan since 30th June, it’s believed the service person is being held by insurgents.”
The Taliban commander, who spoke via satellite telephone from the region, said a group of militants cornered the American soldier and his Afghan counterparts near a U.S. military base and took them hostage.
He said the captives’ fate would be decided by Taliban leaders, but that the Islamic extremist group “would not mind an exchange of prisoners in this case.”
Paktika province sits along Afghanistan’s eastern border with Pakistan. (ANI)
Abu Dhabi, May 26 (ANI): French President Nicolas Sarkozy could visit Pakistan later this year to ink a nuclear cooperation deal between the two countries.
According to sources, France and Pakistan are negotiating a nuclear partnership and talks in this regard, are at an advanced stage.
“We’re in the process of negotiating. We’ve given ourselves two or three more months,” a source privy to Sarkozy said.
Sarkozy is currently in Abu Dhabi to inaugurate a French military base there, The Dawn reports.
Earlier, Pakistan had claimed that France has offered it a civilian nuclear technology similar to what India has obtained from the United States.
“France has agreed to transfer civilian nuclear technology to Pakistan. They have agreed that Pakistan should be treated like India,” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had said during President Asif Ali Zardari’s recent visit to Paris.
French officials had then said that Sarkozy confirmed his willingness to ‘cooperate with Pakistan in the area of nuclear safety’, but they declined to comment on whether Paris had offered any civil nuclear deal to Islamabad.
An official in Sarkozy’s office had said France is concerned about the safety of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal and wants Islamabad to fortify security around its nuclear establishments, but he refused to comment on the idea of an India-style nuclear deal. (ANI)
Nairobi/Khartoum – The Sudanese military has denied reports that a rebel group seized control of a military base near the border with Chad, reports said Monday.
The joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID) on Sunday said that the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) had taken Um Baru, about 100 kilometres from the Chad border.
However, the Sudan Tribune cited army spokesman Mohamed Osman Al-Agbash as saying the JEM attack had been repelled.
The rebels took Kornoi, 50 kilometres west of Um Baru, the previous week.
A new round of peace talks between JEM and the Sudanese government is set to get underway on Wednesday in Doha, Qatar.
According to the United Nations, as many as 300,000 people have died and 2 million have been displaced in six years of conflict in Darfur. (dpa)
Paris – French President Nicolas Sarkozy is to open a new French military base in the Gulf state of Abu Dhabi, the Elysee Palace announced Sunday.
Sarkozy, on a two-day trip to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is to mark on Monday the official opening of the base, at which – according to French media – around 450 soldiers are to be stationed.
France is seeking to secure its influence in the oil rich region as well as protect the sea lines through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has on several occasions threatened to blockade.
The Sarkozy visit is also expected to cover purchases by the UAE of nuclear reactors and Rafale fighter jets.
France and the UAE signed a joint defence agreement in 1995. (dpa)
Tbilisi (Georgia), May 5 (ANI): Georgia’s Defense Minister David Sikharulidze said in televised remarks Tuesday that several hundred army personnel were ignoring orders at the tank battalion base, around 20 miles from Tbilisi.
He said among the mutineers were civilians who had no link to the battalion.
Fox News quoted Georgia’s Interior Ministry spokesman as saying the mutiny is being organized by a former special forces commander and has the support of Russia.
“The main aim of this uprising was to disrupt the NATO military exercises,” the defense minister told a news agency. (ANI)