UN renews call for restraint in Thailand’s deadly demonstrations

May 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

New York, May 18 (DPA) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Monday repeated his call for both sides in Thailand’s deadly street demonstrations to show restraint as the toll rose to at least 36.

UN spokesman Martin Nesirky said UN mediation is possible only if the Thai government and the demonstrators both agree to seek it, which has not occurred, he said.

Thai demonstrators last week apparently called for UN mediation, which the government in Bangkok rejected.

The UN said that Ban has been in touch with Thai authorities regarding the situation, and he expressed concern about the ongoing crisis and urged restraint, stressing the need for a peaceful resolution through dialogue.

‘Regarding UN mediation, the UN always stands ready to help, however, both sides must be in agreement to the UN’s involvement,’ a UN official said.

Ban said last week that he was concerned by the mounting violence as anti-government Red Shirt demonstrators battled armed troops.

On Monday, demonstrators ignored a deadline to disperse from a central Bangkok protest site following the confirmed death of renegade army Major General Khattiya Sawasdipol, 58, who was shot by a sniper last week.

The death toll in the four days of street battles stood at 36, including journalists.

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Standoff in Bangkok as more protests spring up

May 18, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Thai troops maintained a security cordon around thousands of anti-government demonstrators in Bangkok on Tuesday after a night of sporadic violence in which smaller protests were reported in several parts of the capital.

An estimated 5,000 “red shirts” remain in their main encampment covering 3 sq kms (1.2 sq miles) of an upmarket shopping district and from where they have rallied since April 3 for the government to step down and new elections be held.

Authorities had warned them to leave by 3 p.m. (0800 GMT) on Monday, but the deadline passed without any action being taken.

Hundreds of women and children took refuge in a temple inside the protest area, while some protesters fought with soldiers in areas around the camp.

Army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said some “terrorists” were trying to foment trouble through random killings.

“There are groups of terrorists trying to create incidents by hurting and killing people. Their targets are innocent people at the rallies, rescue workers, journalists,” Sansern said.

He said one such incident occurred on Monday north of the main protest site in an apartment block under construction.

“A group of snipers dressed as soldiers were hiding on floors 24 to 27 aiming randomly at people, and that is being blamed on soldiers,” he told a televised briefing.

Thai media reported a fire was raging in a row of deserted shops in the same area on Tuesday and firefighters were struggling to get into the area because of barricades.

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“Red shirt” leaders have proposed a ceasefire and talks moderated by the United Nations, which the government dismissed. On Monday, they said they would accept talks as long as a neutral arbiter took part and troops withdrew.

“The government cannot entertain demands from the protesters,” said Korbsak Sabhavasu, senior aide to the prime minister. “The best way forward is to stop talking about negotiation and for the protest leaders to call their people back to the Rachaprasong rally area and stop the violence.”

NO NEGOTIATED SOLUTION

Erawan Emergency Medical Centre said on Tuesday that 38 people had died in the flare-up of violence since May 13 and 67 people since trouble started in April.

The rally began in mid-March. Televised talks near the start achieved little and contact since has also proved fruitless.

A government source said there were talks behind the scene, but raised doubt any of the “red shirt” leaders had full control of the protesters, especially the more militant elements.

The protesters, mostly drawn from the rural and urban poor, and supporters of ousted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, had initially demanded immediate elections.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva unilaterally offered an election in November — just over a year before one was due — but withdrew the offer because the “red shirts” refused to end their rally and kept adding more demands.

“Following the prime minister’s decision to scrap the poll plan, it has become clear that hope for any political solution and reconciliation of the situation even in the short term is extremely slim,” political analyst Maria Patrikainen of IHS Global Insight Analysis wrote in a note on the crisis.

“With no immediate solution in sight, the fighting also threatens to further divide Thailand’s already fractured society, pushing the country towards civil war,” she added.

Among the smaller incidents reported from late on Monday, Channel 3 television reported that hundreds of “red shirts” had attempted to hold a protest at Ramkamhaneg University in the south of the city on Monday evening.

When students resisted and riot police intervened, the “red shirts” agreed to hold their rally outside the university. Later a gunman driving past on a motorbike fired into the crowd and the demonstrators dispersed. Some minor injuries were reported.

(Additional reporting by Arada Kultawanich and Ambika Ahuja; Writing by Alan Raybould; Editing by David Fox)

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Fighting spreads in Thai capital, 17 dead

May 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Thai troops fired at protesters on Saturday in a third day of fighting on Bangkok’s streets that has killed 17 people as soldiers struggle to isolate a sprawling encampment of demonstrators seeking to topple the government.

Soldiers crouched behind sandbags or atop buildings fired live rounds at protesters armed with petrol bombs, guns and homemade rockets in clashes around the business district. One was shot in the chest while trying to ignite a tyre.

At Din Daeng intersection, north of the protest site, three bodies were evacuated on stretchers, a Reuters witness said. Two suffered head wounds. Troops also swarmed into a parking lot at the popular Dusit Thani hotel outside the protest site.

That followed a long night of grenade explosions and sporadic gunfire as the army battled to set up a perimeter around the 3.5 sq-km (1.2 sq-mile) barricaded encampment where thousands refuse to leave, including women and children.

“We’ll keep on fighting,” said Kwanchai Praipana, a leader of the red-shirted protesters, calling on Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign and take responsibility for Thailand’s deadliest political crisis in 18 years.

He said supplies of food, water and fuel were starting to run thin as their usual delivery trucks were blocked but that they had enough to last “days”.

Hardcore protesters, gathering in small numbers, set fire to vehicles, including an army truck, and hurled rocks at troops who set up razor wire at checkpoints and asked residents to show identification cards to stop people from joining the mostly rural and urban poor “red shirts”.

A sign at one intersection warned residents not to enter a “live bullet area”. Another warned of a “rubber bullet area.”

The crisis has paralysed Bangkok, squeezed Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy, scared off tourists and choked investment in one of Asia’s most promising emerging markets.

It has also stunned “Bangkokians” as one of the world’s most bustling cities and tourist hot spots descends into a war zone.

“My ears are ringing with all the shooting last night,” said Ratana Veerasawat, a 48-year-old owner of a hole-in-the-wall grocery store north of the protest encampment where many residents were leaving for safer locations.

“It’s just awful and getting worse. Best to leave now.”

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon expressed concern over “the rapidly mounting tensions and violence”.

“He strongly encourages them to urgently return to dialogue in order to de-escalate the situation and resolve matters peacefully,” his spokesman said in a statement.

The Canadian government urged both sides to return to talks after a Bangkok-based Canadian journalist was shot three times, one of three journalists wounded in fighting that has spiralled into chaotic urban warfare where front lines shift quickly.

“UNLIKELY TO END QUICKLY”

The government said on Friday it would restore order “in the next few days” as the city of 15 million people braced for a final crackdown in the area of high-end department stores, luxury hotels, embassies and expensive residential apartments.

The number of protesters in the main encampment dropped overnight but several thousand remained, many singing and listening to speeches by protest leaders. Some leaders, including the movement’s chairman, haven’t been seen for days. Several leaders wore flak jackets, fearing snipers.

“I am not scared,” said Sanae Promman, a 37-year-old protester frying vegetables in a wok under a tent at the site. “Some of my friends have left because they are scared but many are still here to fight. We will fight until we die if we must.”

They have barricaded themselves behind walls of kerosene-soaked tyres, sharpened bamboo staves, concrete blocks and razor wire.

“It’s unlikely to end quickly,” said a source close to army chief Anupong Paochinda, fearing more protesters would arrive to surround and attack soldiers.

The Erawan Medical Centre in Bangkok said 17 people had been killed and 147 wounded in the latest fighting.

Before fighting began on Thursday with the shooting of a renegade general allied with the protesters, the two-month crisis had already killed 29 people and wounded about 1,400 — most of whom died during an April 10 gun battle in Bangkok’s old quarter.

The fighting is the latest eruption in a polarising five-year crisis between a royalist urban elite establishment, who back the prime minister, and the rural and urban poor who accuse conservative elites and the military’s top brass of colluding to bring down two elected governments.

Those governments were led or backed by exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a graft-convicted populist billionaire ousted in a 2006 coup who is a figurehead of the protest movement.

The red shirts and their supporters say the politically powerful military influenced a 2008 parliamentary vote, which took place after a pro-Thaksin party was dissolved, to ensure the British-born, Oxford-educated Abhisit rose to power.

“I don’t think many see the end of this protest as the end of the crisis,” said Danny Richards, Asia editor at the Economist Intelligence Unit. “When there’s an election, either side will reject the legitimacy of the other. We’ll be back to square one.”

(Additional reporting by Martin Petty and Damir Sagolj; editing by Bill Tarrant)

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Fighting spreads in Thai capital, 16 dead

May 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Thai troops fired at protesters on Saturday in a third day of fighting on Bangkok’s streets that has killed 16 people as soldiers struggle to isolate a sprawling encampment of demonstrators seeking to topple the government.

Clashes continued across central Bangkok as soldiers behind sand bags or atop buildings fired live rounds at protesters armed with petrol bombs. One was shot in the chest while trying to ignite a tyre in Bangkok’s usually bustling business district.

At Din Daeng intersection, north of the protest site, three bodies were evacuated on stretchers, a Reuters witness said. Two suffered head wounds. Troops also swarmed into a parking lot at the popular Dusit Thani hotel outside the protest site.

That followed a long night of grenade explosions and sporadic gunfire as the army battled to set up a perimeter around the 3.5 sq-km (1.2 sq-mile) barricaded encampment where thousands refuse to leave, including women and children.

“We’ll keep on fighting,” said Kwanchai Praipana, a leader of the red-shirted protesters, calling on Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign and take responsibility for Thailand’s deadliest political crisis in 18 years.

He said supplies of food, water and fuel were starting to run thin as their usual delivery trucks were blocked but that they had enough to last “days”.

Hardcore protesters, gathering in small numbers, set fire to vehicles, including an army truck, and hurled rocks at troops who set up razor wire at checkpoints and asked residents to show identification cards to stop people from joining the mostly rural and urban poor “red shirts”.

The crisis has paralysed Bangkok, squeezed Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy, scared off tourists and choked off investment in one of Asia’s most promising emerging markets.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon expressed concern over “the rapidly mounting tensions and violence”.

“He strongly encourages them to urgently return to dialogue in order to de-escalate the situation and resolve matters peacefully,” his spokesman said in a statement.

The Canadian government urged both sides to return to talks after a Bangkok-based Canadian journalist was shot three times, one of three journalists wounded in fighting that has spiralled into chaotic urban warfare where front lines shift quickly.

“UNLIKELY TO END QUICKLY”

The government said on Friday it would restore order “in the next few days” as the city of 15 million people braced for a crackdown to end a six-week protest by thousands of “red shirts” packed into an area of high-end department stores, luxury hotels, embassies and expensive residential apartments.

The Erawan Medical Centre in Bangkok said 16 people had been killed and 141 wounded in the latest fighting.

“It’s unlikely to end quickly,” said a source close to army chief Anupong Paochinda, fearing more protesters would arrive to surround and attack soldiers.

“There will be several skirmishes in the coming days but we are still confident we will get the numbers down and seal the area,” added the source, who declined to be identified by name.

The number of protesters in the main encampment appeared to have dropped overnight but several thousands remained, many singing and listening to speeches by protest leaders. Some leaders, including the movement’s chairman, have disappeared.

Protesters are barricaded behind walls of kerosene-soaked tyres, sharpened bamboo staves, concrete blocks and razor wire.

Before fighting began on Thursday with the shooting of a renegade general allied with the protesters, the two-month crisis had already killed 29 people and wounded about 1,400 — most of whom died during an April 10 gun battle in Bangkok’s old quarter.

The fighting is the latest flare-up in a polarising five-year crisis between a royalist urban elite establishment, who back the prime minister, and the rural and urban poor who accuse conservative elites and the military’s top brass of colluding to bring down two elected governments.

Those governments were led or backed by exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a graft-convicted populist billionaire ousted in a 2006 coup who is a figurehead of the protest movement.

The red shirts and their supporters say the politically powerful military influenced a 2008 parliamentary vote, which took place after a pro-Thaksin party was dissolved, to ensure the British-born, Oxford-educated Abhisit rose to power.

Five-year Thai credit default swaps, used to hedge against debt default, widened by more than 30 basis points on Friday — the biggest jump in 15 months — to 142 basis points.

“With gun battles and grenades going off, investors will look elsewhere,” said Danny Richards, an analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

“I don’t think many see the end of this protest as the end of the crisis. When there’s an election, either side will reject the legitimacy of the other and we’ll be back to square one.”

(Additional reporting by Martin Petty and Adrees Latif; Editing by Bill Tarrant)

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Fighting spreads in Thai capital, 16 dead

May 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Thai troops fired at protesters on Saturday in a third day of fighting on Bangkok’s streets that has killed 16 people as soldiers struggle to isolate a sprawling encampment of demonstrators seeking to topple the government.

Clashes continued across central Bangkok as soldiers fired live rounds at protesters. One was shot in the chest while trying to ignite a rubber tyre in the business district, witnesses said.

At Din Daeng intersection, north of the protest site, three bodies were evacuated on stretchers, a Reuters witness said. Two suffered head wounds. Troops had also swarmed into a parking lot at the popular Dusit Thani hotel outside the protest site

Protesters set fire to vehicles, including an army truck.

That followed a long night of thundering grenade explosions and sporadic gunfire as the army battled to set up a perimeter around a 3.5 sq-km (1.2 sq-mile) protest site of red-shirted demonstrators who refuse to leave.

“We’ll keep on fighting,” said Kwanchai Praipana, a leader of the red-shirted protesters, calling on Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign and take responsibility for Thailand’s deadliest political crisis in 18 years.

He said supplies of food, water and fuel were starting to run thin but they had enough to last “days”.

The crisis has paralysed parts of Bangkok, squeezed Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy and scared off tourists.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon expressed concern over “the rapidly mounting tensions and violence”.

“He strongly encourages them to urgently return to dialogue in order to de-escalate the situation and resolve matters peacefully,” his spokesman said in a statement.

The Canadian government urged both sides to return to talks after a Bangkok-based Canadian journalist was shot three times, one of three journalists wounded in fighting that has spiralled into chaotic urban warfare where front lines shift quickly.

By Saturday, troops had taken control of checkpoints on at least three roads surrounding the main protest site, checking identification cards in an attempt to stop people from joining thousands in the area, including women and children.

“UNLIKELY TO END QUICKLY”

The government said on Friday it would restore order “in the next few days” as the city of 15 million people braced for a crackdown to end a six-week protest by thousands of “red shirts” packed into an area of high-end department stores, luxury hotels, embassies and expensive residential apartments.

The Erawan Medical Centre in Bangkok said 16 people had been killed in the latest fighting.

“It’s unlikely to end quickly,” said a source close to army chief Anupong Paochinda, fearing more protesters would arrive to surround and attack soldiers.

“There will be several skirmishes in the coming days but we are still confident we will get the numbers down and seal the area,” added the source, who declined to be identified by name.

The number of protesters in the main encampment appeared to have dropped overnight but several thousands remained, many singing and listening to speeches by protest leaders. Some leaders, including the movement’s chairman, have disappeared.

Protesters are barricaded behind walls of kerosene-soaked tyres, sharpened bamboo staves, concrete blocks and razor wire.

Before fighting began on Thursday with the shooting of a renegade general allied with the protesters, the two-month crisis had already killed 29 people and wounded about 1,400 — most of whom died during an April 10 gun battle in Bangkok’s old quarter.

The fighting is the latest flare-up in a polarising five-year crisis between a royalist urban elite establishment, who back the prime minister, and the rural and urban poor who accuse conservative elites and the military’s top brass of colluding to bring down two elected governments.

Those governments were led or backed by exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a graft-convicted populist billionaire ousted in a 2006 coup who is a figurehead of the protest movement.

The red shirts and their supporters say the politically powerful military influenced a 2008 parliamentary vote, which took place after a pro-Thaksin party was dissolved, to ensure the British-born, Oxford-educated Abhisit rose to power.

Five-year Thai credit default swaps, used to hedge against debt default, widened by more than 30 basis points on Friday — the biggest jump in 15 months — to 142 basis points.

“With gun battles and grenades going off, investors will look elsewhere,” said Danny Richards, an analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

“I don’t think many see the end of this protest as the end of the crisis. When there’s an election, either side will reject the legitimacy of the other and we’ll be back to square one.”

(Additional reporting by Martin Petty and Adrees Latif; Editing by Paul Tait)

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Bangkok tense after clashes, 16 dead

May 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Thailand’s capital was tense on Saturday after a night of fighting that killed 16 people and wounded 141 as troops struggle to isolate a sprawling encampment of protesters seeking to topple the government.

Thundering grenade explosions and sporadic gunfire echoed across central Bangkok until nearly dawn as the army battled to set up a perimeter around a 3.5 sq-km (1.2 sq-mile) protest site defiant red-shirted demonstrators refuse to leave.

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon expressed concern over “the rapidly mounting tensions and violence”.

“He strongly encourages them to urgently return to dialogue in order to de-escalate the situation and resolve matters peacefully,” his spokesman said in a written statement.

The Canadian government urged a return to talks following the violence after a Bangkok-based Canadian journalist was shot three times, one of three journalists wounded in fighting on Friday that spiralled into chaotic urban warfare.

The government said on Friday it would restore order “in the next few days” as the city of 15 million people braced for a crackdown to end a six-week protest by thousands of “red shirts” packed into an area of high-end department stores, luxury hotels, embassies and expensive residential apartments.

The crisis has paralysed parts of Bangkok, squeezed Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy and scared off tourists.

Troops fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds at defiant protesters who fought back with petrol bombs, stones and home-made rockets. They set vehicles on fire and rolled burning tyres into checkpoints of troops.

The army said the protesters were firing handguns and M-79 grenades. Army spokesmen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said there were an estimated 500 armed “terrorists” among the thousands of protesters in the city.

A source close to army chief Anupong Paochinda said more troop reinforcements would be deployed, fearing more protesters would arrive to surround and attack soldiers.

“It’s unlikely to end quickly. There will be several skirmishes in the coming days but we are still confident we will get the numbers down and seal the area,” the source said.

PROTESTERS REMAIN DEFIANT

The protesters are showing no sign of leaving. The number of casualties is expected to keep rising, deepening a crisis that began with festive rallies on March 12 and descended into Thailand’s deadlist political violence in 18 years.

Before fighting began on Thursday with the shooting of a renegade general allied with the protesters, the two-month crisis had already killed 29 people and wounded about 1,400 — most of whom died during an April 10 gun battle in Bangkok’s old quarter.

The protesters are barricaded behind walls of kerosene-soaked tyres, sharpened bamboo staves, concrete blocks and razor wire.

The fighting is the latest flare-up in a polarising five-year crisis between a royalist urban elite establishment, who back Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, and the rural and urban poor who accuse conservative elites and the military’s top brass of colluding to bring down two elected governments.

Those governments were led or backed by exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a graft-convicted populist billionaire ousted in a 2006 coup who is a figurehead of the protest movement.

The red shirts and their supporters say the politically powerful military influenced a 2008 parliamentary vote, which took place after a pro-Thaksin party was dissolved, to ensure the British-born, Oxford-educated Abhisit rose to power.

They have repeated their demand for Abhisit to call an immediate election and say he should take responsibility for violence that is also rattling investors.

Five-year Thai credit default swaps, used to hedge against debt default, widened by more than 30 basis points on Friday – the biggest jump in 15 months – to 142 basis points.

“With gun battles and grenades going off, investors will look elsewhere,” said Danny Richards, an analyst at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

“I don’t think many see the end of this protest as the end of the crisis. When there’s an election, either side will reject the legitimacy of the other and we’ll be back to square one.”

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Bloody street battles in Bangkok claim 16 lives

May 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Bangkok, May 15 (DPA) Clashes between Thai troops and anti-government protesters have claimed 16 lives and left dozens wounded in two days of fighting that has turned the heart of the capital into a war zone, official sources said Saturday.

The government Thursday launched an offensive against the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) to force them from their protest site at Ratchaprasong Road, Bangkok’s upmarket commercial district. It escalated into bloody street battles to secure all access points to the area Friday.

According to Bangkok Metropolitan Medical Centre, 16 civilians died and 141 sustained wounds, including three journalists, in street fighting Thursday and Friday.

Troops used tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition against protesters mostly armed with molotov cocktails, stones and sticks.

Fighting was reported Friday night at Din Daeng and Ratchaprasop roads where troops had set up barricades to prevent red shirt protesters from joining the UDD leaders at Ratchaprasong.

There are an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 red shirts within the protest site, now a sprawling city within the city, which is protected by barricades of tyres and sharpened bamboo sticks.

Roads surrounding the Ratchaprasong district have been closed to traffic by troops.

UDD leaders have pledged to remain at the site, even if it leads to civil war. The movement, which claims to be fighting for democracy and a better deal for the long-neglected rural and urban poor, has many supporters in the countryside.

The UDD has occupied the Ratchaprasong neighbourhood since April 3, in a bid to force Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and hold elections.

On May 3, Abhisit agreed to hold an election on Nov 14 and to set up a national reconciliation road map to address some of the social issues raised by the UDD protest and pave the way for peaceful polls on the condition that the UDD end its protest.

But the UDD insisted that Abhisit and his deputy prime minister in charge of security, Suthep Thaugsuban, be legally accountable for a previous crackdown on its followers on April 10, which left 25 dead.

Since the UDD protest began March 12, a total of 45 people have died in clashes and attacks, and more than 1,000 have been injured.

The last time the country witnessed such violence was in May 1992, when an anti-military demonstration was mowed down by soldiers, leaving 44 dead and more than 100 missing.

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Thailand clash death toll rises to 16

May 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Bangkok, May 15 (ANI): The violence between Thai troops and anti-government protesters in Bangkok has reportedly claimed 16 lives so far.

According to Sky News, emergency service workers said three foreigners were among the wounded after becoming caught up in the clashes.

The report said the injured nationals were from Poland, Canada and Burma, and are among 141 people to have been hurt in the confrontations, which have continued through the night.

Earlier troops opened fire on demonstrators in their fortified rally site in the heart of the city”s commercial district.

Soldiers have blocked roads and set up checkpoints to seal off the area around the wider protest site.

The protesters, who are trying to bring down the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, threw stones, used slingshots and launched fireworks at the troops as the two-month standoff descended into more violence. (ANI)

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Rogue general wounded, 1 killed in Bangkok fighting

May 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A rogue Thai general leading a militant wing of anti-government protesters was shot in the head and critically wounded on Thursday, and a man was killed when the army used force to blockade a five-week street rally.

Khattiya Sawasdipol, a suspended army specialist in charge of security for thousands of demonstrators, was shot by an apparent sniper’s bullet to the temple and rushed to hospital, the state Narenthorn Emergency Medical Service said.

The shootings sparked half a dozen confrontations between rock-throwing protesters and armed security forces on the outskirts of the 3 sq-km (1.2 sq-mile) commercial district where red-shirted protesters have barricaded themselves since April 3.

One protester was shot in the eye and died after a group of red shirts confronted soldiers armed with assault rifles next to a park in the Silom business district, witnesses said. Some protesters hurled rocks and troops fired in return.

Gun fire, explosions and sporadic fighting continued into the night around army checkpoints near the protesters’ encampment, protected by medieval-like walls made from tyres and wooden staves soaked in kerosene and topped by razor wire.

By 2:30 a.m. (1930 GMT), nine people were wounded, according to the Erawan Medical Center. The military brought in armoured vehicles, shut down power in some areas at the protest site and cut some mobile phone services.

Khattiya, better known as “Seh Daeng” (Commander Red), was dubbed a “terrorist” by Thailand’s government, which accuses him of involvement in dozens of grenade attacks that have wounded more than 100 people.

But in recent days he was equally critical of other red shirt leaders, accusing them of embracing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s proposed “national reconciliation” which unravelled this week after protesters refused to leave the streets.

Several Thai and foreign reporters said Khattiya was shot as they interviewed him. He was answering a question about whether the Thai military would be able to penetrate the area.

It is unclear who shot him, though some security analysts suggested the army may have played a role. “It’s a clear attempt to decapitate the red shirt military leadership,” said Anthony Davis, a security consultant with IHS-Jane’s.

“It’s a smart tactical move that will cause confusion in the red shirts’ military ranks and send a message to the leadership that if they don’t want to negotiate and come out, they can expect extreme consequences.”

PRIME MINISTER UNDER PRESSURE

The shooting of Khattiya and the security cordon around the red shirt encampment mark the start of a violent crackdown in which the Thai government stands a good chance of clearing the streets, the Eurasia Group political risk consultancy said.

“But it will not end the polarisation that has led to the current instability — ensuring that the pressure from the red shirts will persist and that political volatility will remain a persistent problem for Thailand for the forseeable future”.

Around the time of the shooting, a loud blast was heard, followed by bursts of automatic gunfire near the business district. Hours later, troops at a nearby park fired into the air as protesters tried to block their movement.

Abhisit is under enormous pressure to end the protests, which began with festive rallies on March 12 and descended into the deadliest political violence in 18 years in which 30 people have been killed and more than 1,400 wounded.

The crisis has paralysed parts of the capital, decimated tourism, pushed away foreign portfolio investors and slowed growth in Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy.

Foreign investors have sold $584 million in Thai shares in the past six sessions, cutting their net buying so far this year to $607.6 million in an emerging market seen at the start of the year as one of Asia’s most promising.

On Wednesday, Abhisit cancelled a proposed Nov. 14 election and called off talks with the protesters, who broadly back former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and convicted of graft. He lives in self-exile, mostly in Dubai.

The 22-member red shirt leadership council has struggled to find consensus and appeared in disarray on Thursday night. Its chairman and several others have not been seen in days.

Former Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, chairman of the the protesters’ parliamentary wing, the Puea Thai Party, called on the demonstrators to leave the upscale shopping district where about 20,000 had gathered earlier in the day.

Some hardliners such as Khattiya advocated stepping up the protests to win the fight once and for all. Many face criminal charges for defying an emergency decree and some, like Khattiya, face terrorism charges carrying a maximum penalty of death.

The protesters said this week they would only disperse if a deputy prime minister faces criminal charges over a deadly April 10 clash between troops and protesters.

The Cabinet on Thursday approved a state of emergency in 17 northern and northeastern provinces, which are red shirt strongholds, to prevent potential unrest.

Companies and embassies across the area, including the U.S. embassy, closed and and activated back-up plans for Friday. Public transportation was diverted from the area.

Protest leaders pleaded over their radio station for people to come and reinforce the encampment and threatened to lay siege to Abhisit’s house and an infantry barracks where he has taken refuge if there was a crackdown.

(Additional reporting by Chalathip Thirasoonthrakul and Jerry Lampen; Writing by Bill Tarrant and Jason Szep)

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Thai premier scraps early election proposal

May 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Bangkok, May 13 (DPA) Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has scrapped an offer to hold an early election this year after anti-government demonstrators refused to end their two-month-old protest, officials confirmed Thursday.

Abhisit last week proposed to hold an election Nov 14, in a bid to appease the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), whose supporters are commonly known as red shirts, which has been staging protests in Bangkok since March 12 to try to force a dissolution of parliament.

A precondition for the early polls was that the UDD must end its protest at Ratchaprasong Road in the heart of Bangkok’s commercial district, which the red shirts have occupied since April 3.

‘It is fitting that the premier has rescinded the offer to hold an early poll as the red shirts have refused to disperse,’ Korbsak Sabhavasu, the prime minister’s secretary-general, told reporters Wednesday evening.

The UDD leadership initially welcomed Abhisit’s proposal, but they have refused to disperse at Ratchaprasong Road until Suthep Thaugsuban, deputy prime minster in charge of security, faces criminal charges for ordering a crackdown on their followers April 10 that left 25 dead, including 19 protestors, five soldiers and one foreign journalist.

The condition was partly met when Suthep Tuesday acknowledged charges against him at the Department of Special Investigation, which is looking into the crackdown, but the UDD has insisted Suthep must be interrogated, charged and granted bail.

If Suthep is granted bail, the UDD leadership argues it would set a precedent for them to be granted bail as well once they end their protests and turn themselves in to the authorities.

The 24 top UDD leaders are afraid to quit their protest site because they face arrest once they step outside the barricades on various charges, including breaking the emergency law, terrorism and criticising the monarchy.

The UDD leadership is also split, with some of them willing to quit but others opposed to ending the protest until they have met their original goal of forcing an immediate dissolution of parliament, sources said.

Abhisit and other members of his Democrat Party have blamed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, one of the de-facto leaders of the UDD although he is living in self-exile, for being behind the demonstrators’ reluctance to end their protest.

‘Everyone knows that Thaksin does not want to stop but wants to ruin all aspects of legitimacy,’ deputy leader of the Democrat party, Kraisak Choonhavan, told the Bangkok Post newspaper.

The government has postponed a plan to cut electricity and water to the Ratchaprasong neighbourhood out of deference to people, other than protestors, living in the upscale area.

‘Authorities are now working on technical ways to reduce the grid to the area with a minimal impact on non-protestors,’ government spokesman Panitan Wattanyakorn said.

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Q+A – Will the stalemate continue in Thailand?

May 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Thai anti-government activists showed no signs of ending their two-month protest in downtown Bangkok on Tuesday, despite their acceptance of a proposal to hold an early election in November.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban reported to law enforcement officials early on Tuesday to hear complaints lodged by the families of protesters killed in a clash with troops on April 10, apparently in response to a demand by the “red shirt” leaders.

But it appeared the protesters were not satisfied with Suthep’s action and demanded he be formally charged for allegedly giving the order to use deadly force to quell the demonstration, dashing hopes for a swift end to the stalemate.

IS THE RECONCILIATION DEAL STILL ON THE TABLE?

Officially, the deal is still on, but it is unlikely the government will agree to the latest counter-proposals from the red shirts. An immediate resolution is unlikely and the protest will likely drag on.

Despite the red shirts’ claim they are committed to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s five-point reconciliation plan, their demands have placed the government in a tricky position.

The movement has agreed to a Nov. 14 election but want to ensure the authorities are held accountable for the deaths of 20 demonstrators during the army’s botched attempt to clear another protest site in Bangkok’s historic heart. The red shirt leaders, who are wanted on terrorism charges, say they are willing to face justice, but demand that others involved in the violence must also be brought to book.

WHAT’S THE GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE?

Abhisit on Sunday pleaded with the red shirts to agree to his proposal, which he said was “non-negotiable”. He has not responded to their counter-demand, which a government spokesman said was “unclear”.

Analysts say the demand will likely be ignored since it would humiliate the government, which would incur the wrath of rival “yellow shirt” demonstrators and Bangkok’s middle classes, who have urged it not to cave in to red shirt pressure. Suthep has no parliamentary immunity having quit as a lawmaker due to a conflict of interest. It is highly unlikely charges will be brought against him. The government insists his appearance at the Department of Special Investigation was planned in advance and was not in response to the protesters’ demands.

CAN THE RED SHIRTS SUSTAIN THEIR PROTEST?

Countless times, the government has assumed the red shirts would run out of steam and the protest would fizzle out, but it has been wrong. It has become clear that Abhisit cannot simply wait it out, especially given the immense damage to the economy and the reputation of his government and the army.

The nine-week protest reached its peak in mid-March, with tens of thousands of rural people camping out in Bangkok’s streets. Although the bulk have returned to their farms and villages, the red shirts have tapped into the urban poor in Bangkok. Most are rural migrants — like security guards, cleaners, taxi drivers and labourers — and they are keeping the rally alive.

The numbers may have dropped off since the red shirts pledged to enter the peace process, but the movement has shown it can rapidly mobilise tens of thousands of people in the city and the provinces if it needs reinforcements.

HOW HAVE THE MARKETS RESPONDED?

Traders and investors are optimistic a solution can be reached, but remain cautious. Thailand’s stock market initially jumped over 4 percent after the announcement of a reconciliation process, but the continued standoff and renewed violence at the weekend, combined with a crisis in the eurozone, have curtailed gains.

Foreign investors, who were net buyers for almost seven weeks from late February, drawn by cheap stocks and high dividend yields, have been net sellers for the last four sessions, offloading a combined 14.5 billion baht of stocks ($449 million) suggesting political unease is taking its toll.

“It’s still not clear that all red shirt leaders will respond positively to the government’s reconciliation plan. So far, news flows are mixed and this kind of uncertainty will fuel more foreign fund outflows,” said Warut Siwasariyanon, head of research at Finansia Syrus Securities.

The baht was steady at around 32.28 per dollar in fairly active morning trade on Tuesday. Traders said external factors had an impact more than the domestic political impasse.

(Additional reporting by Viparat Jantraprap; Editing by Alex Richardson)

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Dissolve Parliament in 30 days: Red Shirts

April 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Red Shirt protesters offered a compromise to the Thai government on Friday a day after a series of grenade attacks in Bangkok, saying they would accept dissolution of Parliament in 30 days rather than immediately.

They also called on Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to begin an independent probe into a deadly clash between protesters and the Army on April 10 that killed 25 people, and said troops must be withdrawn from areas around their protest site.

“The government must stop all threats against our movement,” Weng Tojirakarn, a Red Shirt leader, said from a stage at their protest site in the heart of Bangkok’s commercial district.

The new demands came shortly after Army Chief Anupong Paochinda told a meeting of his commanders there would be no crackdown on the protesters camped out in the capital because it would do more harm than good.

Thousands of supporters of ousted Premier Thaksin Shinawatra remain in a fortified encampment at a ritzy shopping area of central Bangkok, vowing to stay until Vejjajiva dissolves Parliament.

The government is far from controlling the situation, Thailand’s largest broker, Kim Eng Securities, said in a note to clients. Reds have denied their involvement. But if they are indeed behind the attacks, these powerful explosions right in the Army-barricaded area demonstrate they are well-prepared to wage a full-scale war.

The Central Bank said on Wednesday the crisis was hitting confidence, tourism, private consumption and investment, although exports, which are crucial to economic growth, have not been affected so far by the unrest.

Britain, Australia and the United States have warned their citizens to reconsider travel plans to Thailand, where tourism accounts for 6 per cent of the economy.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said on Friday he had called his Thai counterpart, Kasit Piromya, to offer any assistance for a dialogue between the conflicting parties. He said Indonesia was alert to the possibility that the Thai troubles could have an impact in the region.

The 1997 Asian financial crisis began in Thailand with a run on the local baht currency and spread to the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and South Korea.

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Q+A-What is going on in Thailand?

April 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

BANGKOK, April 14 (Reuters) – Thai anti-government protesters on Wednesday abandoned one of their two protest sites to congregate in a downtown Bangkok shopping district, a tactical move in preparation for what they say is “a final battle.”

At least 23 people were killed on Saturday, with hundreds wounded. The violence was a game-changing factor, which may tip the balance of power in favour of the opposition, analysts said.

So what happens now?

IS VIOLENCE ABOUT TO ERUPT AGAIN?

It is unlikely in the short term. The failed attempt to eject protesters from one of their encampments on Saturday, which turned into violent clashes, embarrassed the military. It is now going on a public relations offensive to explain that security forces were targeted by “terrorists”. The army is unlikely to come out in full force again, risking its reputation to protect Abhisit, whose political capital appears to be dwindling.

The protesters have abandoned a vulnerable protest site on a bridge in the historic part of the city and are consolidating in th Rachaprasong intersection shopping district, close to the main business area. The geography of the area, and the presence of families, tourists, expatriates in luxury hotels and apartments, make it very unlikely the troops will move in.

A state of emergency is in effect, banning public gatherings of more than five people, yet thousands remain on the streets. Army chief Anupong Paochinda said “political problems require a political solution”, another indication the army is unwilling at this point to crack down on behalf of the embattled government.

COULD ABHISIT CAVE IN?

Abhisit will likely have to dissolve parliament soon or resign. Pressure will mount on him if the protests continue to paralyse the capital’s commercial heart. The government has said it does not want to give in to mob rule but Abhisit has offered few clues as to how he will resolve the crisis.

Complicating Abhisit’s future, Thailand’s poll watchdog set in motion a procedure that could lead to the disbanding of his Democrat Party over suspected funding irregularities. A similar ruling ended a Thaksin-supported coalition government in 2008, ending a seizure of the airport by “yellow shirt” protesters.

Some in the establishment, however, are believed to be manoeuvring for Abhisit to quit, paving the way for a temporary “national unity government” that would bring all parties, including the Thaksin-allied opposition, into the fold. That could take the red shirts off the streets and buy time before fresh polls are called.

WILL THE VIOLENCE HURT THE ECONOMY?

The short answer is yes. Credit rating agencies and economists say the escalation of violence will hit tourism revenue, foreign direct investment, economic growth and the country’s ability to repay its debts.

But Thailand has had 18 coups since 1932 and protests by yellow shirts, red shirts, and others are a way of life, even if Bangkok has not seen such violence since 1992. Until the declaration of a state of emergency last week, Thailand along with the rest of Southeast Asia had seen a surge in foreign investment inflows, with $1.8 billion coming into Southeast Asia’s second largest economy from Feb. 22 to March 7.

Stocks dived over 3 percent on Monday and all eyes will be on the market when it reopens on Friday, looking for a sign of a trend. Tourism has taken a hit, but it always bounces back in what many people believe to be one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

IS THERE A CHANCE OF ANOTHER COUP?

It’s not totally out of the question if Abhisit’s government teeters and the influential men in green who traditionally play a pivotal role in politics risk losing behind-the-scenes clout.

The top brass is well aware that another coup will not sit well with the international community and could provoke a violent response in the bitterly divided country. Some within the army may prefer the use of “soft power” to push Abhisit out and install a new premier to buy time before the next poll is held.

Analysts say large numbers of soldiers in the lower ranks and some senior officers sympathise with the red shirts. Many of the military’s top brass are at the other end of the political spectrum, allied with royalists, business elites and the urban middle classes who wear yellow or pink at counter-protests and broadly back the 16-month-old government.

Adding to the mix is the question of succession of ageing 82-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who has been hospitalised since Sept. 19, and whether an eventual succession would lead to a change in the balance of power in the military, which is traditionally closely aligned with the palace.

WHO ARE THE RED SHIRTS AND WHAT ARE THEY FIGHTING FOR?

They are mostly supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, drawing support from the rural poor, and increasingly from the urban working class.

Their formal name is the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD). They wear red shirts to distinguish themselves from the pro-establishment yellow shirts. A leader also said once that it is “a striking colour which shows our fighting spirit.”

They back Thaksin, because of his welfare and rural development policies while in office from 2001-2006. Many of them believe his conviction for corruption after he was ousted in a 2006 military coup was an attempt to keep him out of politics after the coup. Not all red shirts back Thaksin unreservedly, but all are angered by the manner of his removal and believe democracy is being undermined by powerful, unelected figures.

The red shirts say Abhisit’s coalition government is illegitimate because it was not elected but pieced together with the backing of the army in a “silent coup” in December 2008 after a ruling pro-Thaksin party was dissolved. It wants new elections, which it is confident the pro-Thaksin Puea Thai Party would win. (Additional reporting by Nopporn Wong-Anan; Editing by Bill Tarrant)

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Police called as koala sighting halts Mumbulla logging

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Police have been called to the site of an anti-logging protest in the Mumbulla State Forest, on the New South Wales far south coast.

Conservationists say the timber harvesting which began this week will harm a key koala colony.

The program was halted yesterday after evidence was found that a koala was two kilometres from the site.

Forests New South Wales says a pause in the logging will allow for further investigation into evidence of koalas in adjoining areas.

Anti-logging campaigner Harriet Swift says around 70 people are at the protest site, and a barricade was in place this morning until the police intervened.

“We held up loggers and log trucks going into the logging area for about four hours this morning, but eventually they did pass through,” she said.

“But they’ve given us an undertaking that they won’t actually be logging, they’ll just be processing and transporting trees already cut.”

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“Red shirts” rally on, Thai PM Abhisit stands firm

March 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

(Reuters) – Thousands of protesters in Thailand donated blood to be poured outside the premier’s office on Tuesday, a “sacrifice for democracy” aimed at energizing their movement after the government refused to step down.

World

Tens of thousands of red-shirted supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra remained at their encampment in central Bangkok, frustrated that after four days of peaceful protests, the government showed no sign of calling fresh elections, which Thaksin’s allies would be well placed to win.

The absence of violence and a growing view that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva can ride out the crisis lifted Thai stocks 1.4 percent by midday. The baht currency firmed.

Despite the tensions, foreign investors have been buyers of Thai stocks for the past 15 sessions, scooping up a net $850 million over that period, although volumes slowed this week.

“If we can get past this week, things should return to normal and fund flows should start building up again,” said Patareeya Benjapolchai, president of the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

“Fundamentally, Thailand isn’t bad looking,” she added.

That message was reinforced by U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley, which upgraded its recommendation on Thailand’s stock market to “overweight” in a note to clients. [ID:nSGE62F03J] At the protest site, there were clear signs of fatigue. Some complained of failure to produce quick results. Others whithered under Bangkok’s scorching sun. Of the 150,000 demonstrators who massed on Sunday, many were returning to their rural provinces.

“They have been on the streets since Saturday and it’s tough. We will keep going because this is about the long-term benefit to Thailand,” said Jaran Ditthapichai, a protest leader. Early on Tuesday, “red shirts” lined up under a tent to give blood to medical volunteers and nurses. The leaders said this would be spilled outside Abhisit’s office in what they are calling a symbolic shedding of blood for democracy.

“When the picture of this reaches Abhisit, won’t he be just a little bit ashamed of himself?” said Rung Suramanee, 76, a retired civil servant as she gave blood. “I am ready to sacrifice anything for majority rule to return.”

Health workers said the 10 cubic cm (0.6 cubic inches) of blood taken from each protester was a waste, and potentially unsanitary and dangerous.

SIGNS OF FRUSTRATION

Despite days of fiery rhetoric by demonstrators on how the mainly rural “red shirts” have been marginalized by the military, urban elite and royalists who back Abhisit, some expressed frustration about the seeming lack of impact from the rally.

“I want to step it up and do something bold,” said Manat Tengmanee from northern Lampang province.

Fears of violence briefly surfaced on Monday when three grenades exploded at a Bangkok army base, wounding two soldiers, just hours after Abhisit appeared on television rejecting their demands to dissolve parliament. It was unclear whether the attack was linked to the demonstrations.

Economists say prolonged unrest could hurt businesses and delay an expected interest rate rise. That looks less likely given the orderly protests, although Bank of Thailand Assistant Governor Paiboon Kittisrikangwan said on Tuesday the bank will consider politics when it next reviews rates.

Worries about the political situation helped depress consumer confidence in February, after months of improvement as the economy recovered from a brief recession.

The twice-elected Thaksin was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and later sentenced in absentia to two years jail for graft. He fled into exile shortly before his sentence was passed and lives mainly in Dubai, although thought now to be in Europe.

Core “red shirt” leaders echoed Thaksin’s recent calls for patience but analysts said a drop in numbers may force the leaders to start looking for ways to end the rally.

“It’s tricky for them. They have to do it in a way that does not embarrass the leaders and disappoint participants too much because that could undermine their credibility among their own supporters,” said political scientist Somjai Phagaphasvivat.

“But it would help their image, especially among the public who are on the fence — people who agree with their cause but have been reluctant to join because they do not support Thaksin and disagree with violence.”

Asked if he was ready to talk to the protesters, Abhisit told reporters before leaving to look at drought problems in the north: “If they want to exchange ideas … I am willing to listen, but I have to decide on the basis of the whole country.”

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the government remained vigilant as it continued to receive intelligence that there could be sabotage, including bombings and arson. Critics have accused the government of scaremongering.

Allies of Thaksin, hugely popular in the vote-rich north and northeast, are likely to win the next election, which must called by the end of 2011, just as they have every poll held since 2001.

($1=32.55 Baht)

(Additional reporting by Chalathip Thirasoontrakul and Ploy Ten Kate; Editing by Alan Raybould and Bill Tarrant)

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