Political Standoff Turns Bloody in Bangkok
The clash between the Thai establishment and anti-government "red shirt" protesters took a turn for the deadly on Thursday when a series of grenade explosions killed one person and wounded 75 in a Bangkok business district.
The clash between the Thai establishment and anti-government “red shirt” protesters took a turn for the deadly on Thursday when a series of grenade explosions killed one person and wounded 75 in a Bangkok business district.
Los Angeles Times:
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban told a nationwide television audience that the M-79 grenades, one of which was detonated near a hotel, another near a bank on Silom Road, originated in a Bangkok park occupied by protesters. But in the confusion it was not immediately clear who was responsible.
“The government wants to offer condolences to the wounded,” said Suthep, who asked people to leave the area for their safety. “We have assigned more troops to the area because we are concerned of more clashes.”
Anti-government demonstrators, known as “Red Shirts” for the color of their apparel, have occupied parts of downtown Bangkok for six weeks demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva step down, dissolve parliament and leave the country.
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Yingluck Shinawatra is expected to become Thailand's first female prime minister after her opposition party won an outright majority in parliamentary elections Sunday. Shinawatra is the sister of Thaksin Shinawatra, himself prime minister until 2006 when a military coup forced him into exile. (more)
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's days in office may be numbered. After last weekend's bloody clash between red-shirted protesters and government forces in Bangkok, Vejjajiva was dealt two big tactical blows Monday that could lead to his party's dissolution.
Thousands of anti-government protesters rallied in front of the Thai parliament on Wednesday demanding new elections. The demonstration forced legislators to pack it in and some of the Red Shirt protesters smashed through the compound’s gates, though they left shortly thereafter.
The demonstrations that have vexed Bangkok for the last few days took an ugly turn Monday as the Thai army fired at a crowd of protesters and ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra called for revolution. Current PM Abhisit Vejjajiva, the object of the protesters' ire, has promised to restore order, though he himself rose to power on the back of public unrest.
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