BANGK☀K CHA☀S ↓↓↓

[kueytoc]

Thai PM declares state of emergency in Bangkok

By GRANT PECK, Associated Press Writer - 2 hours 18 minutes ago

BANGKOK – Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency in Bangkok on Wednesday, handing the army broad powers to restore order after weeks of disruptive street protests by anti-government demonstrators.

The announcement came after protesters broke into Parliament and senior government officials had to be evacuated by helicopter. Some lawmakers scaled the compound's walls to escape.

The government already had placed Bangkok under the strict Internal Security Act.

But a state of emergency includes more sweeping powers. It gives the military authority to restore order and allows authorities to suspend certain civil liberties and ban all public gatherings of more than five people.

The so-called Red Shirt protesters are demanding that Abhisit dissolve Parliament within 15 days and call new elections. He has offered to do so by the end of the year.

They have been camped in Bangkok since March 12 and have ignored all other decrees for them to stop their protests.

Abhisit has become the target of harsh criticism for failing to take strong measures to end the protests. He has tried negotiations, and has had security forces pull back from possible confrontations.

In a statement broadcast on all television stations Tuesday, he explained that "the current fragile situation demands careful maneuvering."

"We need to plan and implement everything to the last detail and with thorough care. The last thing we want is for the situation to spiral out of control."

[kueytoc]

Avoid emergency—hit Bangkok & surrounding areas: MFA

Channel NewsAsia - 44 minutes ago

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has urged Singaporeans not to travel to Bangkok and other areas under a state of emergency.

The advice came after the Thai government announced a state of emergency in protest—hit Bangkok and the surrounding areas including Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom and Ayuthaya.

The MFA and its Embassy in Bangkok are closely monitoring the situation.

The MFA said it is concerned about the ongoing developments in Thailand and trusts that all parties will quickly find an amicable and peaceful resolution to their differences.

The MFA added that it is important that the situation in Thailand return to normalcy as soon as possible, as Thailand is a key member of ASEAN.

Singaporeans who do not have a pressing need to travel to the affected areas should postpone their trips, the MFA said.

Those who still need to go to Thailand should monitor developments there and register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at http://eregister.mfa.gov.sg/.

This will enable the MFA and its Embassy in Bangkok to contact Singaporeans and render consular assistance in case of emergencies.

The MFA also urged Singaporeans in Bangkok to minimise their movements outside and remain indoors if there are signs that personal safety may be at risk.

They should also be on personal alert and monitor the news closely.

The MFA also encouraged all Singaporeans travelling abroad to purchase comprehensive medical and travel insurance.

Should Singaporeans require assistance, they can contact the Singapore Embassy in Bangkok or the MFA Duty Officer (24—hours) at: Embassy of the Republic of Singapore 129 South Sathorn Road, Bangkok 10120 Tel: 001—66—(81) 844—3580/001—66—(2) 286—2111 Fax: 001—66—(2) 286—6966 Email: singemb_bkk@sgmfa.gov.sg>

CNA/ir

[jackywongto]

thank goodness my business trip to bangkok was cancelled.

Else I would be there now .....

[pokmingsheng]

thank goodness my business trip to bangkok was cancelled.

Else I would be there now .....

i almost bought tickets to bangkok in July..

thank goodness i've not bought them....

[iskay]

Hope and Pray that my Thai friends in Bangkok are safe. It's a never ending cycle that achieves little. Yellow then now Red.

[FuEl]

Lol few more days to Songkran & my friends are still going ahead. Sometimes people just crave a little chaos.

[jackywongto]

i almost bought tickets to bangkok in July..

thank goodness i've not bought them....

by July, everything would have been quenched.

but it will be a even better time to buy tickets after this.

could be cheaper

Thais are quite friendly folks actually.

Just that most rioters are being paid and they needed some extra cash

[FuEl]

Yes, 200 baht a day is considered a lot of money for many of them.

[kueytoc]

Thai army pulls back from protest clashes; 18 dead

By JOCELYN GECKER, Associated Press Writer - Sunday, April 11

BANGKOK – Savage clashes between protesters and Thai soldiers killed at least 18 people and injured hundreds before both sides retreated, no closer to ending a monthlong occupation of parts of the capital by demonstrators demanding new elections. Hopes were expressed for negotiations Sunday.

Bullet casings, rocks and pools of blood littered the streets where pitched battles raged for hours Saturday. It was the worst violence in Bangkok since more than four dozen people were killed in an antimilitary protest in 1992.

Army troops pulled back and asked protesters to do the same, resulting in an unofficial truce.

Five soldiers and 13 civilians, including a Japanese cameraman for the Thomson Reuters news agency, were killed, according to the government's Erawan emergency center.

Editorials in Bangkok newspapers Sunday called for urgent talks between the government and so-called "Red Shirts" to end the violence, noting that some protest leaders were ready for negotiations.

The violence erupted after security forces tried to push out demonstrators who have camped in parts of the capital for a month, staging disruptive protests demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajva dissolve Parliament and call new elections.

The demonstrations are part of a long-running battle between the mostly poor and rural supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and the ruling elite they say orchestrated the 2006 military coup that removed him from power on corruption allegations.

The protesters, called "Red Shirts" for their garb, see the Oxford-educated Abhisit as a symbol of an elite impervious to the plight of Thailand's poor and claim he took office illegitimately in December 2008 after the military pressured Parliament to vote for him.

Saturday's violence and failure to dislodge the protesters are likely to make it harder to end the political deadlock. Previously, both sides had exercised considerable restraint.

Abhisit "failed miserably," said Michael Nelson, a German scholar of Southeast Asian studies working in Bangkok.

Tanet Charoengmuang, a political scientist at Chiang Mai University sympathetic to the Red Shirt's cause, said he expects the fighting will resume because the protesters are unafraid and the government refused to listen to them.

Abhisit went on national television shortly before midnight to pay condolences to the families of victims and indirectly assert that he would not bow to the protesters' demands.

"The government and I are still responsible for easing the situation and trying to bring peace and order to the country," Abhisit said.

Nelson said he had been hopeful the situation would calm down after the troops pulled back but that Abhisit's TV appearance raised doubts because he seemed "totally defiant."

The army had vowed to clear the protesters out of one of their two bases in Bangkok by nightfall, but the push instead set off street fighting. There was a continuous sound of gunfire and explosions, mostly from Molotov cocktails. After more than two hours of fierce clashes, the soldiers pulled back.

Army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd went on television to ask the protesters to retreat as well. He also accused them of firing live rounds and throwing grenades. An APTN cameraman saw two Red Shirt security guards carrying assault rifles.

At least 825 people were injured, according to the Erawan emergency center. The deaths included Japanese cameraman Hiro Muramoto, who worked for Thomson Reuters. In a statement, Reuters said he was shot in the chest.

Most of the fighting took place around Democracy Monument, but spread to the Khao San Road area, a favorite of foreign backpackers.

Soldiers made repeated charges to clear the Red Shirts, while some tourists watched. Two protesters and a Buddhist monk with them were badly beaten by soldiers and taken away by ambulance.

A Japanese tourist who was wearing a red shirt was also clubbed by soldiers until bystanders rescued him.

Thai media reported that several soldiers were captured by the protesters. Red Shirts also staged protests in other provinces, seizing the provincial hall in the northern city of Chiang Mai, Thaksin's hometown.

On Friday, the police and army failed to prevent demonstrators from breaking into the compound of a satellite transmission station and briefly restarting a pro-Red Shirt television station that had been shut down by the government under a state of emergency. The humiliating rout raised questions about how much control Abhisit has over the police and army.

Thailand's military has traditionally played a major role in politics, staging almost a score of coups since the country became a constitutional monarchy in 1932.

The Red Shirts have a second rally site in the heart of Bangkok's upscale shopping district, and more troops were sent there Saturday as well. The city's elevated mass transit system known as the Skytrain, which runs past that site, stopped running and closed all its stations.

Merchants say the demonstrations have cost them hundreds of millions of baht (tens of millions of dollars), and luxury hotels near the site have been under virtual siege.

Arrest warrants have been issued for 27 Red Shirt leaders, but none is known to have been taken into custody.

Associated Press writers Grant Peck, Kinan Suchaovanich, Denis D. Gray and Thanyarat Doksone contributed to this report.

Thai protesters storm into TV compound

By KINAN SUCHAOVANICH,Associated Press Writer - Saturday, April 10

BANGKOK – Thai anti-government protesters stormed Friday into a telecom company compound where authorities had shut down their vital TV channel, as soldiers and riot police tried to hold them back with tear gas and water cannons.

It was the first use of force by the government in monthlong protests aimed at ousting Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and forcing new elections. Meanwhile, the Criminal Court said it had issued arrest warrants for three top protest leaders.

The "Red Shirt" protesters had threatened to charge into the building if a senior military commander didn't come out to negotiate with them to restore their People Channel, or PTV.

Hurling rocks, the protesters breached the barbed-wire perimeter of the Thaicom Public Co. Ltd. within minutes, though they were not immediately able to enter the main building. As they moved into the compound, security forces threw tear gas canisters and fired water cannons but then quickly retreated into the main building as thousands of protesters swarmed around it.

Some security forces were seen throwing down their shields and riot gear and shaking hands with the protesters. The Red Shirts offered water to soldiers and police.

The escalating demonstrations are part of a long-running battle between the mostly poor and rural supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and the ruling elite they say orchestrated the 2006 military coup that removed him from power. They see the Oxford-educated Abhisit as a symbol of the elite and claim he took office illegitimately in December 2008 with the help of military pressure on Parliament.

In recent weeks, police at demonstrations have frequently shown sympathy with the protesters and analysts say the security forces, especially the police, are split in their loyalties, making it difficult for the government to enforce its orders and decrees.

Leaders of the Red Shirt movement initially said they would march to undisclosed locations across Bangkok on Friday in their biggest rally yet, but switched plans, with protest leader Nattawut Saikua telling followers, "We're all moving in one direction."

"We're going to bring back our People Channel," he said.

Columns of protesters, riding motorcycles and pickup trucks, had blared horns and waved red flags as they moved out of their two main encampments in downtown Bangkok and headed north 28 miles (45 kilometers) to the offices of Thaicom in the suburb of Pathum Thani.

Thaicom was founded by Thaksin, a telecommunications tycoon turned politician.

The government security agency estimated that 15,000 people were in the motorized caravan, but army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd placed the number at about 3,000. Both figures are far below the biggest estimated turnout of about 100,000 during the early days of the protests last month.

PTV was set up and financed by Red Shirt sympathizers. A number of small community radio stations also are allied with the protesters, who also use cell phones and social networking to communicate.

On Friday, the Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for three leaders for allegedly seizing the commercial district, the official Thai News Agency said. To date, a total of 27 warrants have been issued but none of the leaders is known to have been taken into custody.

The government has declared a state of emergency but so far has exerted no significant force to stop the escalating demonstrations. Instead, it has censored the protesters' communication links. On Thursday, it blocked the "People Channel" and dozens of Web sites that broadcast the protesters' fiery rallies and calls to the countryside for reinforcements.

Abhisit imposed the emergency order Wednesday and canceled a one-day trip to Hanoi for a summit of Southeast Asian leaders as he searched for ways to resolve the showdown without the use of force.

The prime minister went on national television late Thursday to explain the reasons behind the censorship and to announce that arrest warrants had been issued for protest leaders accused of briefly storming Parliament on Wednesday.

"What the government wants is peace and happiness," Abhisit said. Although the emergency order means the military now has greater power to restore order, both Abhisit and the army know a crackdown could result in bloodshed that would be political poison.

"It is the manipulation of information that is creating hate," he said.

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said the media outlets blocked put out false information, including warnings that Abhisit authorized the use of force against protesters.

Most of Thailand's television stations are owned by the government, but other media are privately owned and reflect a wide spectrum of political opinion.

Protesters have camped in Bangkok's historic district since March 12 and occupied the capital's main shopping boulevard since Saturday. A group of demonstrators stormed Parliament on Wednesday, forcing officials to flee over a back wall and by helicopter, and prompting the emergency decree, which also allows authorities to impose curfews, ban public gatherings, censor media and detain suspects without charge for 30 days.

Associated Press writers Denis D. Gray, Jocelyn Gecker and Grant Peck contributed to this report.

[iskay]

song roi baht for your life??? that's a rather bad deal... Hope they resolve this soon.

[pokmingsheng]

their KING should come out and say something!

[kueytoc]

Thailand in turmoil after 21 die in bloody clashes

AFP - Monday, April 12

BANGKOK (AFP) - Defiant "Red Shirt" Thai protesters vowed Sunday to keep up their bid to topple the government, after the country's worst political violence in almost two decades left 21 dead and over 800 injured.

Protest leaders, who have promised to maintain their campaign until the government dissolves parliament and calls fresh elections, demanded Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva step down and leave the country.

Seventeen civilians, including a Japanese TV cameraman, and four soldiers were killed following Saturday's crackdown on the red-shirted supporters of fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra in Bangkok, the emergency services told AFP.

On Sunday evening Reds gathered to mourn the loss of their comrades at the city's Democracy Monument -- the scene of a fierce battle on Saturday -- where grieving relatives led a procession holding gold-framed pictures of the dead.

They were followed by weeping men carrying caskets, a couple containing bodies draped with Thai flags and flowers. Some onlooking protesters prayed and others waved red banners. Related article: Japan urges probe into journalist's death

It is the latest chapter in years of turmoil pitting the ruling elite against the mainly poor and rural Reds, who say the government is illegitimate as it came to power in 2008 after a court ousted Thaksin's allies from power.

The violence erupted when troops tried to clear one of two sites in the centre of the capital occupied by the protesters for the past month. Soldiers fired in the air and used tear gas while the Reds responded by hurling rocks.

As the clashes intensified gunshots echoed around the city and both sides accused the other of using live ammunition. Emergency services said two protesters were killed by gunshot wounds to the head.

The government denied troops had opened fire on protesters with live rounds.

"Weapons were used only in self defence and to fire into the air. We don't find any evidence that soldiers used weapons against people," government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn told a press conference.

More than 200 soldiers were injured, 90 of them seriously, he said. One of the dead was a colonel.

At one stage protesters overwhelmed and captured an armoured personnel carrier, while army spokesman Sunsern Kaewkumnerd said government weapons had fallen into the hands of the demonstrators.

The army later retreated, calling for a truce with the demonstrators, who were holding five soldiers hostage. Thousands of protesters remained on the streets at the two main protest sites on Sunday.

"Abhisit must leave Thailand," Reds leader Veera Musikapong told supporters. "We ask all government officials to stop serving this government."

The government said an investigation had been launched into the violence and that negotiations were under way to bring about a resolution to the stand-off without further unrest.

The Thomson Reuters news agency said one its journalists, Japanese cameraman Hiro Muramoto, died after being shot in the chest during the protest. Tokyo urged Bangkok to investigate the death.

The unrest marked Thailand's worst political violence since 1992 and the United States urged both sides to show restraint.

The protesters called on the country's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej to intervene to prevent further bloodshed.

"Did anybody inform the king that his children were killed in the middle of the road without justice?" Reds leader Jatuporn Prompan said. "Is there anyone close to him who told him of the gunfights?"

Although he has no official political role, the hospitalised king is seen as a unifying figure. During a 1992 uprising he chastised both the military and protest leaders, effectively bringing the violence to an end.

Tensions briefly escalated again late Sunday as around 200 Reds drove motorcycles to a nearby bridge, on apparently unfounded rumours that the army was approaching.

Top Red Weng Tojirakarn said their People Television (PTV) station was switched back on after the government twice pulled the plug on the channel.

Thai flags, red roses and incense sticks were placed on pools of blood where protesters were killed or wounded in the Khaosan Road backpacker district, a few yards from a number of ruined cars with their windows smashed in.

Abhisit offered his condolences over the deaths but refused to bow to the protesters' calls to resign.

Arrest warrants have been issued for many of the senior Red leaders but so far none is reported to have been taken into custody.

Thaksin, who was ousted in a bloodless coup in 2006 and is now based mainly in Dubai, also offered his condolences to the victims and their families via the micro-blogging site Twitter.

[jackywongto]

wow.... dun play play.... this time, its different......

[kueytoc]

Played 'POKER-FACE' too much liao.

Thai poll body says ruling party must be dissolved

AP - Tuesday, April 13

BANGKOK – Thailand's Election Commission has found the ruling party guilty of misusing poll donations, and recommended its dissolution.

The commission's decision will have to be endorsed by the Constitutional Court for the Democrat Party of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to be disbanded. No date was set for the court to hear the case.

The Election Commission decision Monday adds a new twist to Thailand's ongoing political crisis over protesters' demands for the government to step down. The crisis erupted into violence in Bangkok on Saturday when 21 people were killed in street clashes with security forces.

[kueytoc]

Thai protesters to consolidate forces in Bangkok

By DENIS D. GRAY, Associated Press Writer - 24 minutes ago

BANGKOK – Anti-government protesters said they will consolidate their forces in the commercial heart of the Thai capital after canceling a march Wednesday on a military camp where the prime minister has sheltered during their month-old campaign to oust him.

A failed attempt by security forces to flush thousands of so-called "Red Shirt" protesters out of their Bangkok encampments over the weekend ended with bloody street battles leaving 21 killed and hundreds wounded in Thailand's worst political violence in nearly two decades.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said arrest warrants were out for "terrorists" linked to the Red Shirts who had fired assault rifles and grenade launchers during the savage, chaotic confrontation Saturday, the Thai-language newspaper Matichon said.

He said some of them were working as guards at makeshift stages set up by the protesters and that the protest leaders knew of their "terrorist acts."

Both sides blame each other for the killings, with the government insisting its troops only fired over the heads of demonstrators. Reporters saw and photographed weapons in the hands of some in the clashes who appeared to be on the side of the protesters.

Nattawut Saikua, a protest leader, said that by Thursday the Red Shirts would move out of a historic quarter of Bangkok to a second encampment, which they have occupied since April 3 and which is lined with upscale shopping centers and five-star hotels.

"We would be more efficient when it comes to organization, and have one center when it comes to mobilization," he said. The shopping malls have mostly remained shut and hotels have seen large numbers of guests check out, causing millions of dollars in losses.

Another protest leader, Weng Tojirakarn, said Tuesday night that the group was sticking to its demand that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva immediately dissolve Parliament and hold elections. But he canceled an earlier announced "offensive" against the army camp where Vejjajiva has been staying.

Weng said the Red Shirts would decide what step to take next after the end Friday of a raucous three-day celebration of Thai New Year, or Songkran, which doused some of the tensions that have kept Bangkok on knife-edge since March 12.

The Songkran festival, an annual ritual of dancing, heavy drinking and water fights, saw revelers flooding some streets on Tuesday, driving around in pickup trucks packed with barrels of water, splashing pedestrians, passengers on buses and motorcyclists.

In the tourist hangout of Khao San road _ a bar and hotel-lined street where violence between protesters and soldiers spilled over on Saturday _ foreigners joined in the revelry, firing at each other with super-sized water guns. An elephant, under the guidance of a handler, sprayed people with water from its trunk.

"This is such a great relief from politics," said Jetsada Pinyomongkol, brandishing a giant pink-and-yellow water gun. "I think many people get sick of it. Everywhere you turn to it's Red Shirt this, government that. It's great that we could put the differences aside for at least today."

At loggerheads in the yearslong struggle for power in Thailand are the rural supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra _ whose ouster in a 2006 coup exposed the country's deep political divisions _ and the traditional ruling elite represented by Abhisit and his allies. The Red Shirts claim Abhisit, whose supporters include business leaders, the military brass and members of the urban middle class, took power illegitimately.

Denchai Thanuson, a protester, said he decided to stay in Bangkok to "fight for democracy" instead of celebrating Songkran in his village in an outlying province. As he spoke his children clambered atop military armored cars crippled in the clashes and shot off their water guns.

A new feature of the holiday this year were red bowls for throwing water printed with the slogans, "Power to the People" and "Dissolve Parliament."

The pendulum in the monthlong power struggle appeared to swing in the demonstrators' favor Monday when the Election Commission ordered the dissolution of the ruling Democrat Party for allegedly concealing campaign donations, and the powerful army chief threw his weight behind calls for new elections.

The moves were initially expected to blunt the Red Shirt demonstrations but protest leaders dismissed them as just a ploy by the government to buy time: The Election Commission ruling still must be approved by a court, a potentially lengthy process.

The body found the Democrat Party guilty of failing to disclose _ as required by law _ that it received 258 million baht ($8 million) from TPI Polene, a cement producer, in 2005.

"This is a long legal process. It can be a ploy for Abhisit to buy time," Weng said.

Associated Press writers Kinan Suchaovanich, Vijay Joshi and Grant Peck contributed to this report.

[kueytoc]

Thai protesters vow "final battleground"

Reuters - 31 minutes ago

By Nopporn Wong-Annan and David Chance

BANGKOK - Thailand's anti-government protesters said Wednesday they would all congregate at a single site in a ritzy Bangkok shopping district, preparing for a "final battleground" with the authorities.

The decision came after the death toll from Thailand's bloodiest political violence since 1992 rose by two -- a protester and a soldier -- to 23, according to medical authorities, and as the prospect of further violence looked set to clip growth in Southeast Asia's second-largest economy.

"We will use the Rachaprasong areas as the final battleground to oust the government," protest leader Nattawut Saikua told reporters Wednesday. "There will be no more negotiations, no more talks."

That means the "red shirts," who want Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to step down immediately ahead of new elections, will now consolidate their forces in the heart of the capital, rather than being spread out in two places.

Bangkok was peaceful Wednesday during the second day of the country's three-day new year holiday as protesters called off a planned a march on an army base that Abhisit has taken shelter during the month-long campaign to topple his government.

Tens of thousands of revellers took to the streets of Bangkok Tuesday night for the Songkran holiday, dousing each other with water and flour in traditional celebrations.

However, tensions could flare again when the holiday ends and financial markets are likely to see renewed selling when they reopen Friday as the protests ramp up again, although the red shirts said they will decide their plans Thursday.

Abhisit, who most political analysts had predicted would ride out the storm, appears more vulnerable now after the surprise announcement this week of an investigation into possible corrupt funding of his party and comments from the army chief that only polls could end a crisis that has gripped Thailand since 2006.

Abhisit has said he could dissolve parliament by the end of the year, although his hand could be forced by a recommendation this week from the Election Commission that his Democrat Party should face charges of illegal funding.

If the charges are upheld, Abhisit, who came to power in 2008 when the army brokered a deal in parliament, could be banned from holding office and Thailand's oldest political party could be dissolved. Any prosecution could take months, however.

HIT TO BANGKOK ECONOMY

The tense confrontation in the capital, which shows few signs of ending soon, could dampen economic growth as tourists stay away and as the prospect of further violence hits consumer confidence, economists say.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban ordered police to hunt for "terrorists" the government blames for the killings in Bangkok's old quarter Saturday.

Even as Bangkok and the country partied Tuesday, the economic impact of the clashes that also injured more than 800 has already started to show with charter flights cancelled.

Without an immediate resolution, Thailand's tourism industry, which accounts for 6 percent of gross domestic product and directly employs 1.8 million people, could be hit further.

Investment bank Morgan Stanley calculates that economic growth this year could be reduced by 0.2 percentage points due to the impact on tourism.

"However, the impact on Thai GDP will lie more in the effect on Bangkok: we estimate that the slowdown in Bangkok's GDP could take 0.1 percentage points to 0.6 percentage points off Thai GDP growth," economist Deyi Tan said in a research report.

The unexpected violence at the weekend has prompted investors to desert Thailand. The stock market fell by over 3 percent Monday and credit ratings agencies have warned the economy could be damaged.

[jackywongto]

very nooby thoughts... Are Thaksin & his buddies behind this?

[albinosage]

very nooby thoughts... Are Thaksin & his buddies behind this?

Only a billionaire can fund a campaign of this scale

Anyway the logistics to get thousands of people from rural villages and coordinate their action is not easy without "outside help". There are several reports linking Thaksin (financially at the very least) to this anyway...

[kueytoc]

Thai protester climbs out hotel to evade capture

By TASANEE VEJPONGSA, Associated Press Writer – 16 mins ago

BANGKOK – Thailand's political crisis took a surreal twist Friday when an anti-government protest leader climbed down a hotel facade with a rope to evade arrest and drove off with two police officers taken hostage by his supporters.

Arisman Pongruangrong's escapade was the latest embarrassment for the government, which less than 30 minutes earlier had announced on national television that security forces were surrounding the hotel to arrest Arisman and other leaders holed up inside.

Authorities have tried without success to end a monthlong sit-in by tens of thousands of "Red Shirt" protesters in some of Bangkok's most popular shopping and tourist districts. At least 24 people were killed last week when troops tried to clear one group of protesters.

Friday's failed crackdown signaled the government was willing to risk another confrontation with the Red Shirts, who are campaigning to oust Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, dissolve Parliament and hold new elections.

But it only served to anger the Red Shirts, who immediately declared a "war" on the government.

"From now on our mission is to hunt down Abhisit ... This is a war between the government and the Red Shirts," Arisman, a charismatic pop singer-turned-activist, told supporters after his escape.

Arisman is seen as a radical Red Shirt leader who has incited violence. He is wanted by police for leading an invasion of the Parliament building by hundreds of supporters on April 7 that forced lawmakers to climb a back wall to escape. VIPs were evacuated by helicopter. He had also led the storming of a Southeast Asian summit last year in the beach resort of Pattaya that forced the conference to be canceled.

On Friday, with a rope looped around his waist, a visibly nervous Arisman slid down from a third-story ledge of the hotel into a waiting crowd of cheering Red Shirt supporters who led him to a getaway car.

Arisman then returned and clambered on top of a van to give a short speech, to announce that the Red Shirts had seized two police officers — a colonel and a major general — as hostages to ensure his safety.

"I would like to thank all of the people who saved me — you have helped save democracy," said Arisman, a one-time crooner of love songs and a Thai heartthrob.

A second Red Shirt leader was seen climbing out of a hotel window and down a tree. It was not immediately clear if he escaped.

Thousands of Red Shirts, mostly rural poor, have congregated in Bangkok since March 12. They occupied two areas, one of which troops tried to clear on Saturday, leading to clashes that left 24 people dead and more than 800 injured in the worst political violence in nearly two decades.

The Red Shirts withdrew from that area Thursday and consolidated their forces at their second encampment in Rajprasong, the main shopping and hotel district of Bangkok.

A convoy of Red Shirt protesters escorted Arisman to Rajprasong from the hotel.

Earlier Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban announced on national television that a crackdown was being launched on the Red Shirts. He accused "terrorist elements" of infiltrating the Red Shirt organization to orchestrate Saturday's violence.

"The terrorists within the demonstrators used war weapons," Suthep said in a television message.

"I would like to ask innocent protesters to leave the demonstration area, in order to avoid being used as human shields," Suthep said. "The government from now on would like to carry out decisive legal measures against the Red Shirt leaders."

Associated Press writer Kinan Suchaovanich, Jocelyn Gecker and Vijay Joshi contributed to this report.

[kueytoc]

Red shirt military advisor wounded in Thai capital

Reuters - 1 hour 17 minutes ago

By Martin Petty and Chalathip Thirasoonthrakul

BANGKOK - The chief military advisor of Thailand's anti-government protesters was injured in the head, after an explosion and bursts of automatic gunfire were heard near Bangkok's business district on Thursday night.

Khattiya Sawasdipol, a suspended army specialist in charge of security at an encampment occupied by thousands of "red shirt" demonstrators, was admitted to an intensive care ward after being shot, said the state Narenthorn Emergency Medical Service.

It had no other details.

Khattiya, better known as "Seh Daeng" enjoys a cult following among some red shirts and soldiers, but has been dubbed a "terrorist" by Thailand's government, which accuses him of involvement in dozens of grenade attacks that have injured more than 100 people.

The army had earlier said it was planning a huge lockdown around the fortified encampment of the red shirts, who have defied warnings to end their five-week occupation of an upmarket Bangkok shopping district.

The Thai military said it would deploy armoured vehicles and shut roads surrounding thousands of defiant protesters on Thursday, forcing businesses to evacuate workers as tensions rise in the deadliest political crisis in two decades.

The army said its armoured vehicles will bolster checkpoints, stopping protesters from entering the area, and urged businesses on roads leading into the protesters' 3 sq-km fortified encampment to close on Friday.

Army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said authorities tasked with resolving the crisis will also seek cabinet approval to invoke a state of emergency in 15 northern and northeastern provinces, which are stronghold of protesters to prevent any mobilisation.

SURROUND MILITARY VEHICLES

The mostly rural and urban poor protesters refused to leave as their leaders challenged the government from behind medieval-like walls made from tyres and wooden staves soaked in kerosene and topped by razor wire.

The government estimated the crowd size at 10,000 but Reuters witnessses put it at more than 20,000.

"We will send out groups to surround these vehicles to prevent them from advancing," Jatuporn Prompan, a protest leader, told supporters. "We believe the army will try to crack down this evening or tomorrow morning."

Companies and embassies across the area told employees to leave work early and activated back-up plans for Friday. Several stations in an elevated train system were shutting early. Public transportation was being diverted from the area.

The mood at the protest site turned quickly in the afternoon from festive to tense. Leaders took turns on the stage to call for more protesters to come to the encampment, chanting "come out, come out" and threatening to lay siege to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's house and an infantry barracks where he has taken refuge if there is a crackdown.

Abhisit is under enormous pressure to end the two-month crisis that has killed 29 people, wounded more than 1,000, paralysed parts of Bangkok and slowed growth in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy.

But analysts and an army source close to Army Chief Anupong Paochinda said an immediate crackdown is unlikely despite the threats.

"It's hard to say if or when the crackdown will be because we have to evaluate by the hour. We don't want casualties so we have to keep the pressure up so people are too tired to resist.

"Casualties will be bad for us as well."

Analysts said potentially high casualties have prevented the army from going in.

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE FALLS

The turmoil is shattering consumer confidence, a survey showed on Thursday, suggesting spending in shops and department stores is drying up as the crisis grinds on, a troubling sign for a sector that accounts for half the economy.

The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce said its consumer confidence index fell by a record 2.6 points in April, the lowest since July 2009. Confidence has fallen for three straight months after rising steadily since the middle of 2009.

The Thai baht fell sharply immediately after the army's announcement, though witnesses saw no unusual activity around the sprawling red shirt encampment.

The red-shirted protesters are mostly supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted in a 2006 coup. They say Abhisit lacks a popular mandate after coming to power in a controversial parliamentary vote 17 months ago with support from the military.

The prime minister on Wednesday cancelled a proposed November 14 election under his "national reconciliation" plan and called off talks with the protesters, raising speculation of a crackdown.

Foreign investors have turned negative since violence flared in April and have sold $584 million in Thai shares in the past six sessions, cutting their net buying so far this year to $607.6 million as of Wednesday.

"The markets have no idea what to make of the situation. It seems like we're heading back to square one," said Sukit Udomsirikul, a senior analyst at brokerage Siam City Securities.

Disparate views among protest leaders -- from radical former communists to academics and aspiring lawmakers -- make it difficult to reach consensus. Many face criminal charges for defying an emergency decree and some face terrorism charges carrying a maximum penalty of death.

Several harbour political ambitions and need to appease rank-and-file supporters. Others fear ending the protest now would be a one-way ticket to jail. Some hardliners advocate stepping up the protests to win the fight once and for all.

The red-shirted protesters, have said they would only disperse if a deputy prime minister faces criminal charges over a deadly April clash between troops and protesters.

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Rogue Thai general aiding Red Shirts shot in head

By THANYARAT DOKSONE,Associated Press Writer - 6 minutes ago

BANGKOK – A renegade army general accused of leading a paramilitary force among Thailand's Red Shirt protesters was shot in the head Thursday, apparently by a sniper , an aide said, after the government warned it would shoot "terrorists."

In an interview with The Associated Press about 90 minutes before he was shot, Maj. Gen. Khattiya Sawasdiphol said he anticipated a military crackdown soon _ as security forces moved to seal an area of central Bangkok which has been occupied by thousands of the protesters for weeks.

"It's either dusk or dawn when the troops will go in," he said. He was shot soon after night fell.

An aide who answered Khattiya's mobile phone described the injury as "severe." The AP called Khattiya's phone after several gunshots and explosions were heard late Thursday from the vicinity of the Red Shirt's redoubt in the upscale Rajprasong district.

"Seh Daeng was shot in the head," said the aide, referring to Khattiya by his nickname. The aide hung up without identifying himself.

The government's medical emergency center confirmed that Khattiya was shot in the head and admitted to the intensive care unit at a hospital.

It was not possible to verify the aide's claim that Khattiya was shot by a sniper. Calls to police and army spokesmen seeking comment were not answered.

The Red Shirts, many from the rural poor, are demanding an immediate dissolution of Parliament. They believe Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's coalition government came to power illegitimately through manipulation of the courts and the backing of the powerful military.

Tens of thousands of them streamed into the capital on March 12 and occupied an area in the historic district of Bangkok. An army attempt to clear them on April 10 led to clashes that killed 25 people and wounded more than 800. Another four people were killed in related clashes in the following weeks.

Thursday's shooting will only deepen fears of more bloodshed.

Khattiya is a renegade army major general whom the government has labeled a "terrorist" and a mastermind behind some of the violence.

He bitterly opposed reconciling with the government and had recently become critical of Red Shirt leaders, some of whom had wanted to accept a government proposal to end Thailand's political crisis.

The firing came after the government said it will impose a military lockdown on the Rajprasong area to evict the protesters.

Khattiya, who helped construct the Red Shirt barricades of sharpened bamboo stakes and tires around the protest area, was accused of creating a paramilitary force among the anti-government protesters and had vowed to battle against the army if it should launch a crackdown.

In the AP interview, he accused Red Shirt leaders of taking government bribes to accept Abhisit's reconciliation plan to hold elections on Nov. 14. However, the plan was abandoned after the Red Shirts made new demands and refused to leave.

"The prime minister and the Red Shirts were on the verge of striking a deal but then I came in. Suddenly, I became an important person," he said.

"This time, the people's army will fight the army. There is no need to teach the people how to fight. There are no forms or plan of attack. You let them fight with their own strategies," he said.

Khattiya was suspended from the army in January and became a fugitive from justice last month after when an arrest warrant was issued against him and two dozen others linked to the Red Shirts for their purported roles in the violence. Yet he has wandered freely through the protest zone, signing autographs just yards (meters) from security forces keeping watch over the protesters.

Earlier Thursday, an army spokesman, Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, said security forces were preparing to impose a lockdown on the 1-square-mile (3-square-kilometer) area where the Red Shirts have barricaded themselves in a posh area of shopping malls, hotels and upscale apartments. A reporter for TNN television said electricity went out late Thursday.

Sansern said armored personnel carriers and snipers will surround the area. Power, public transport and mobile phone service in the area was also suspended.

Sansern said troops will use rubber bullets first but will not hesitate to use live ammunition in self-defense if attacked.

"In addition, another unit of ... sharpshooters will be on the lookout and will shoot terrorists who carry weapons," he said.

The Red Shirts see Abhisit's government as serving an elite insensitive to the plight of most Thais. The protesters include many supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a populist leader accused of corruption and abuse of power and ousted in a 2006 military coup.

Thaksin, a former telecommunications billionaire who fled overseas to avoid a corruption conviction, is widely believed to be helping to bankroll the protests. He claims to be a victim of political persecution.

Associated Press writers Jocelyn Gecker, Vijay Joshi and Grant Peck contributed to this report, with additional research by Warangkana Tempati.

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Thai capital gets back to business after protests

AFP - Tuesday, May 25

BANGKOK (AFP) - – Thailand's capital whirred back into life on Monday after last week's deadly unrest, as businesses and schools reopened and citizens returned to streets cleared of debris left by arson and looting.

Thoroughfares which for six weeks had been occupied by "Red Shirts" anti-government protesters, who established a fortified encampment in the top shopping district, were finally open to traffic.

Office workers returned to their jobs, children went to school and retailers rolled back shutters after the worst civil unrest in recent memory, which since mid-March has left 88 dead and nearly 1,900 injured.

Two foreign journalists were killed, including Italian photographer Fabio Polenghi, whose body was cremated in a solemn ceremony Monday at a Buddhist temple.

The Reds, who are campaigning for fresh elections to replace a government they condemn as illegitimate, disbanded last Wednesday in the face of a military offensive that forced their leaders to surrender.

Enraged militants within the movement went on a rampage of looting and arson that left 36 major buildings ablaze including the stock exchange and Thailand's biggest mall, Central World, which now stands in ruins.

Downtown Bangkok was scrubbed clean over the weekend in a frenzied operation involving thousands of city workers wielding brooms and power hoses, as well as enthusiastic volunteers including foreigners.

But everywhere there were reminders of the chaos, and large crowds gathered outside Central World, solemnly snapping photos of the wreckage.

"Almost every weekend my family and I came here to go shopping, see movies and eat some food. Now everything is gone, so I'm very sad," said Mito Shiko, a Japanese construction company owner who has lived in Bangkok for two decades.

New economic data said the Thai economy grew at a breakneck pace of 12 percent in the first quarter, but that the deadly unrest would clip the full-year performance by 1.5 percentage points.

"The Thai economy has repeatedly experienced crisis and managed to revive, but whether it can achieve that this time or not depends on our people," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters.

Share prices tumbled 2.77 percent as trade resumed after the stock exchange was forced to close mid-way through Wednesday's session when it came under attack from the arsonists.

Opposition lawmakers allied with the Red Shirts movement on Monday filed a motion to censure Abhisit and five other ministers over the handling of the crisis.

No date has been set for the debate, but the motion is largely symbolic as Abhisit's coalition has a majority in the parliament.

While Bangkok is fast returning to normal, a curfew has been in force in Bangkok and 23 other provinces, and authorities said they would recommend the government extend the measures for another week.

The Reds are mostly supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup. The billionaire was accused of gross rights abuses and corruption, but won grass-roots support with his populist policies.

Thaksin's elected allies were later ejected in a controversial court ruling, paving the way for Abhisit's administration to be appointed in a 2008 army-backed parliamentary vote.

Thailand's criminal court will rule Tuesday on whether to issue a warrant to arrest Thaksin on terrorism charges in connection with the deadly unrest, as the government seeks to bolster attempts to extradite him.

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Bomb kills 1, wounds 10 after Bangkok by-election

By THANYARAT DOKSONE, Associated Press Writer - Monday, July 26

BANGKOK – A bomb at a bus stop in downtown Bangkok killed one person and wounded 10 shortly after polls closed in a parliamentary election that pitted a government candidate against a jailed leader of recent mass protests in the Thai capital.

Police Maj. Gen. Anuchai Lekbamroong, at the site of the explosion Sunday, declined to speculate whether the bombing was related to Thailand's continued political turbulence in the wake of the street demonstrations that paralyzed much of the capital for weeks.

The bomb wounded 10 Thai people and one women from Myanmar, all of whom were hospitalized, according to the government's Erawan Center, which accounts for casualties in such incidents.

One of the wounded, a 51-year-old Thai man, later died during an operation at the Police Hospital, according to a nurse who declined to give her name since she was not authorized to speak with the press.

The explosion was near two department stores that have been closed since they were torched at the climax of the protests May 19.

The government candidate scored a narrow victory over a contender being held in jail on terrorism charges in an election touted by rival sides as a barometer of Thailand's political climate, according to unofficial results.

The poll was seen as a test of strength for the Red Shirt movement, which from March to May staged demonstrations that were finally put down with lethal force. The protesters had demanded that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva dissolve parliament and call a general election.

In the special election, Panich Vikitsreth, a vice minister for foreign affairs with the ruling Democrat Party, garnered about 54 percent of the vote over rival Kokaew Pikulthong, an imprisoned Red Shirt leader, unofficial results from the Election Commission said. Four other candidates received negligible votes.

Kokaew, who was not in the top ranks of the Red Shirt leadership, had to campaign from his prison cell, where he is held on terrorism charges for his alleged role in the violent end to the protests. He was contesting a vacant seat in the House of Representatives for the opposition Pheu Thai Party.

Thailand has been in a state of political turmoil since 2006, when a coup ousted then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was popular among the rural and urban poor. Since then, his supporters and opponents have staged a bitter struggle for power.

The Red Shirts, made up of Thaksin's supporters and other opponents of the coup, staged protests in April last year and then relaunched their campaign against Abhisit in March this year.

An escalating series of confrontations ended on May 19, when the army moved in to sweep the Red Shirt demonstrators from the streets. Over two months, almost 90 people died _ most of them protesters killed by authorities _ and more than 1,400 were hurt in politically related violence. More than 30 buildings were torched.

A state of emergency is still in effect, and the top protest leaders are in detention.

Additional reporting by Grant Peck and Kinan Suchaovanich in Bangkok.

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Bangkok to stay under emergency rule after blast: PM

AFP - Wednesday, July 28

BANGKOK (AFP) - – Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Tuesday that the authorities would maintain emergency rule in the capital following a deadly bombing over the weekend.

"I think Bangkok will remain under the state of emergency while the government will gradually lift the law in other provinces," he told reporters after meeting security officials.

The bomb, which killed one person and wounded 10, exploded at a bus stop in the same commercial district occupied by anti-government "Red Shirt" protesters during a two-month-long rally that ended with an army crackdown in May.

The main opposition Puea Thai party accused government supporters of setting off the bomb, which shattered an uneasy calm in the capital since the army crushed the Red Shirts' mass protests.

The government has come under pressure from the United States and rights groups to end a state of emergency still in place across one-fifth of the country.

Authorities have used the powers -- introduced in Bangkok on April 7 -- to arrest hundreds of Red Shirt suspects and silence anti-government media.

The protests by the Reds, many of whom back fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, attracted up to 100,000 people demanding immediate elections.

Ninety people died and about 1,900 were injured in a series of street clashes between armed troops and demonstrators.

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Grenade explodes in Bangkok, rattles nerves

3 hours 29 mins ago

A grenade exploded in central Bangkok, seriously wounding a security guard, police said on Friday, the third such incident in a month during a state of emergency across Thailand's capital.

The explosions threaten to undermine attempts to revive Thailand's huge tourism industry three months after the country's worst political violence in modern history in which 91 people were killed in clashes between troops and red-shirted anti-government protesters.

The grenade was tossed into the headquarters of Thai duty-free giant King Power Group late on Thursday, on the same street where a grenade exploded on July 30, seriously wounding a garbage collector.

"It could be an attempt to stir chaos in the area," Metropolitan Police Chief Santan Chayanond told reporters.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban told reporters the incident showed Bangkok, where there is still emergency rule, remained volatile.

"I cannot identify who was responsible at this point but it's a group who want to see chaos in the city and wouldn't give up."

Emergency rule bans political gatherings of more than five people and gives the government powers to impose curfew and censor media and detain suspects without charge for 30 days.

Anti-government protest leader and parliamentarian Jatuporn Prompan said his group was not responsible for the explosion, which took place near Victory Monument, a transportation hub usually choked with traffic and surrounded by hospitals, military compounds and nightclubs.

"They cannot blame us for all ills in the city. There are a lot of people who are upset about one thing or another, with someone or another. We have nothing to gain from this sort of incident," Jatuporn told Reuters.

It was the third unexplained incident of its kind in the capital since July 25, when a bomb hidden at a bus stop outside a supermarket killed one man and wounded nine.

(Reporting by Ambika Ahuja and Pracha Hariraksapitak; Editing by Jason Szep)