Political un-rest and rally

[migrant]

This article is from the AP/ Internet

by
Thanyarat Doksone


AP BANGKOK (May 16) - Thailand's government insisted Sunday a crackdown on Red Shirt protesters will continue despite their plea for U.N-mediated talks to end four days of street clashes with troops that have killed 30 people.

A pause by the Thai military was unnecessary since troops were "not using weapons to crack down on civilians," said government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn. The government maintains it is only targeting armed "terrorists" among the demonstrators.

Panitan's comments dashed hopes of an end to Thailand's worst political violence in decades, which has spiraled out of control and raised concerns of sustained, widespread chaos in this nation of 65 million people. Thailand is a key U.S. ally and Southeast Asia's second-largest economy.

Nicolas Asfouri, AFP / Getty Images
Anti-government protesters crouch on the ground Sunday after several gun shots rang out during clashes between demonstrators and security forces in Bangkok.
According to government figures, 59 people have died and more than 1,600 have been wounded since the Red Shirts began their protests in March. The toll includes 30 civilians killed and 232 injured since Thursday in fighting that has turned parts of the city known for its nightlife into an urban war zone.

A towering column of black smoke rose over the city Sunday as protesters facing off with troops set fire to tires serving as a barricade. Elsewhere, they doused a police traffic post with gasoline and torched it as sporadic gunfire rang out.

The Red Shirts have occupied a 1-square-mile (3-square-kilometer) protest zone - barricaded by tires and bamboo spikes - in one of Bangkok's ritziest areas to push their demands for Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign immediately, dissolve Parliament and call new elections.

Drawn mostly from the rural and urban poor, the Red Shirts say Abhisit's coalition government came to power through manipulation of the courts and the backing of the powerful military, and that it symbolizes a national elite indifferent to the poor.

Soldiers have encircled the protest zone in a wide perimeter. Most of the fighting is taking place in the no-man's land in between. The Red Shirt fighters have used homemade gasoline bombs, firecrackers, rocks - and in some cases guns - to attack troops positioned behind sandbag bunkers. The soldiers have responded with rubber bullets and live ammunition.

Journalists have seen army snipers take aim through telescopic sights and fire to keep the attackers at bay.

With the Red Shirts' encampment virtually sealed off by troops, the protesters are running out of food and water and other supplies.

"We are willing to negotiate immediately," Nattawut Saikua, one of the protest leaders, told reporters and supporters earlier Sunday. "What's urgent is to stop the deaths of people. Political demands can wait."

Nattawut said the United Nations must serve as a mediator in the talks because, "we don't see any neutral and just organizations."

In response, Panitan said all groups using weapons to threaten security forces must "stop their actions immediately."

Thailand is a sovereign nation and there was no need for the U.N. to get involved in internal matters, he said.

A state of emergency, already in effect in 17 provinces, would be extended to five more provinces, Panitan said. The emergency bans a gathering of more than five people and gives the military broad powers.

On Sunday, protest leaders told women and children with them to move to a Buddhist temple compound within the protest zone. In Thai tradition, temples are considered safe havens and will not be entered by anyone bearing arms.

But many of the worst clashes Sunday were outside the protest zone with particularly fierce battles in a working class neighborhood where a large group of demonstrators gathered - an indication the unrest was spreading.

About 5,000 people are believed camped in the main protest zone, down from about 10,000 before fighting started Thursday after a sniper shot and seriously wounded a Red Shirt leader, a former army general who was their military strategist. His condition worsened Sunday, doctors said.

The urban battleground resembles a curfew zone with no public transport or private vehicles. Most shops, hotels, supermarkets and businesses in the area are shut. The government has shut off power, water and food supplies to the core protest site.

Schools were ordered shut Monday in all of Bangkok. Long lines formed at supermarkets outside the protest zone as people rushed to stock up on food.

The clashes are the most prolonged and deadliest bout of political violence that Thailand has faced in decades despite having a history of coups - 18 since it became a constitutional monarchy in 1932.

The crisis appeared to be near a resolution last week when Abhisit offered to hold elections in November, a year early. But the hopes were dashed after Red Shirt leaders made more demands.

[PeteC]

Opinion » Opinion

COMMENTARY
Red leaders all miscalculated and are losing

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin ... are-losing

* Published: 17/05/2010 at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section: News

All red shirt leaders except Veera Musikhapong are carrying battle wounds despite sitting safely behind the battlelines out of sight of the soldiers. They have, to put it quite simply, shot themselves in the foot.

Leading campaigners of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship only have themselves to blame for making a seriously wrong move against Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his government.

If only they had agreed to disperse the protest after Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban reported to the Department of Special Investigation last week, they would have emerged as the winner of the political standoff. The leaders could have told the demonstrators that they successfully forced the prime minister to call an early poll.

In fact, the offer by Mr Abhisit was the best ever since the red shirts converged on the capital in mid-March. And its political arm, the Puea Thai Party, also has a chance to win the election if it comes early. The party remains strong in many constituencies in the northern and northeastern provinces because of the popularity of deposed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his freebies and populist policies when he was in power from 2001-2006.

A quick return to administrative power is what Thaksin's supporters want to maintain the legacy of Thaksin, among other things.

But that chance had slipped away from Natthawut Saikua, Jatuporn Prompan, Weng Tojirakarn and others who are masterminding the demonstration when they promptly replied with more demands from the government, including making the deputy premier turn himself in to police.

The hardliners in the UDD wanted to corner Mr Abhisit with more conditions, while the moderate camp led by Mr Veera tried in vain to convince the others to stop the rally by accepting the prime minister's proposal.

The hard core members miscalculated that they could press for more from the prime minister after seeing him show signs of compromise. They failed to realise that the momentum was no longer on their side. Their credibility sharply dwindled in the raid at Chulalongkorn Hospital. The army and police were better coordinated and that was proved by the dispersal of demonstrators in the Don Muang area after police were reluctant to join security operations in the beginning. It is no surprise Mr Veera eventually decided to turn his back on the rally.

Now the prime minister's offer of an early poll is out of the question. The time for negotiation is gone. And instead of successfully putting more pressure on Mr Abhisit, all figureheads of the UDD have their backs to the wall following the government's decision to end all negotiation options. The mysterious shooting of renegade army specialist Khattiya Sawasdipol on Thursday is an answer to the red shirts that that is the only solution available now.

The UDD has come up with new calls for Mr Abhisit to immediately quit and not lead the interim government while waiting for the new elections to take place. Of course, nobody in the government cares about these new conditions anymore.

All the red shirt leaders can do now is to keep protesters with them as long as possible as human shields. They read Mr Abhisit's mind that the two want to keep the loss of lives at a minimum.

The government and army learned a lot from the rush to crack down on the demonstrators on April 10. What happened on that night showed that Mr Abhisit and army leader Gen Anupong Paojinda are fighting armed men well equipped with heavy weapons, including RPGs and M79 grenades. The only formula to success is to keep the UDD leaders and security men inside and do anything to weaken them by every means possible from cutting food, water and other supplies to building more pressure on them before the final order comes.

The only condition for the prime minister is to immediately end the rally with no more bargains. It would not have turned out this way had the UDD leaders not made the wrong move.

Saritdet Marukatat is News Editor, Bangkok Post.

[PeteC]

TT [at]jin_nation: 7:24pm URGENT!! Lotus Express at Bon Kai is now on fire! #redshirts #CH7
half a minute ago via TweetDeck

TT [at]jin_nation: 6:42pm #Redshirts at Din Dang try 2 storm into Century hotel, shouting "we need 2 burn this hotel down". 18 minutes ago via TweetDeck

Building next to Lumpini Tower is on fire, says witness.
19 minutes ago via mobile web

None of that has hit the 'breaking news' from the big 2 English papers here. Let's see what they put up as dawn approaches. Pete

[PeteC]

Breakingnews » Breakingnews
Tourists under fire in Dusit Thani

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews ... usit-thani

* Published: 17/05/2010 at 02:50 AM
* Online news: Breakingnews

The luxury Dusit Thani Hotel near the shirt shirts' line came under gunfire early Monday and a loud blast was heard, prompting guests to shelter in the basement, according to an AFP journalist inside.

"I was in bed. There was a big explosion very close to my room. I went out of the room, other people did too and at that moment the wall outside was hit by bullets," said AFP photographer Pedro Ugarte.

"We received a few phone calls (from hotel staff) and they said, 'Come down you are under attack'. Everybody is now in the basement, about 100 people," he said by telephone from the Dusit Thani hotel where the incident occurred.

[BaaBaa.]

I do wish they'd keep up.

Urgent: "Everybody is now in the basement, about 100 people," he said by telephone from the Dusit Thani hotel. /AFP about 4 hours ago via TweetDeck

[BaaBaa.]

A guys Facebook page as it was happening.

http://www.facebook.com/MichaelYonFanPage

[STEVE G]

I have to say that from watching the international media, this whole thing is now making the Thai government look incredibly heavy handed, particularly now they've rejected any chance of outside mediation.
We now have endless clips of fully armed troops and sniper teams firing away at protesters armed with fireworks and catapults.
Now that may not be exactly what is happening, but it's what the world is seeing.

[caller]

I fully agree with Steve. I believe the Worlds media is turning against the Thai Govt. on this as they see and report the reality whilst the Thai Govt. claim otherwise. The beeb website now even shows a guy being shot in the leg in slow motion!!!

[BaaBaa.]

The beeb website now even shows a guy being shot in the leg in slow motion!!!

Is that the guy who's setting fire to tyres or the one who's trying to set fire to a petrol tanker?

[cozza]

I fully agree with Steve. I believe the Worlds media is turning against the Thai Govt.

They have been against the govt since the beginning...reporting some absolute bullshit.

I read this morning that it was no longer about Thaksin...what a load of crap!

There was no report of the Reds asking for Suthep to be charged which obviously will never happen to slide out of negotiated elections. To say that Abhisit would have backflipped on the elections is total crap too, making an assumption of something that has not happened yet is not good enough reason to pull the crap the UDD have been pulling. 100% biased crap, I cant read the western media anymore. Some of the crap in this forum is biased too, sorry mods, but some in this forum are obviously sided with the Reds.

The Reds straight up have showed they DONT want to negotiate...what is the govt to do, leave them alone?

[caller]

The beeb website now even shows a guy being shot in the leg in slow motion!!!

Is that the guy who's setting fire to tyres or the one who's trying to set fire to a petrol tanker?

Does it matter? Can you post the video, I can't even find it now?

Heres another one from Sky, check the video out and tell me who you think comes out best?

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World- ... _Surrender

Cozza, no point listening to you mate.

[Takiap]

The beeb website now even shows a guy being shot in the leg in slow motion!!!

Is that the guy who's setting fire to tyres or the one who's trying to set fire to a petrol tanker?

[BaaBaa.]

I don't see the problem with a Soldier shooting him in the leg if he's trying to set fire to a vehicle.

[caller]

I don't see the problem with a Soldier shooting him in the leg if he's trying to set fire to a vehicle.

Nor comeplete innocents being shot in the head no doubt. Sad.

[cozza]

From the article posted from Bangkok Post...

All red shirt leaders except Veera Musikhapong are carrying battle wounds despite sitting safely behind the battlelines out of sight of the soldiers. They have, to put it quite simply, shot themselves in the foot.

Leading campaigners of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship only have themselves to blame for making a seriously wrong move against Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his government.

If only they had agreed to disperse the protest after Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban reported to the Department of Special Investigation last week, they would have emerged as the winner of the political standoff. The leaders could have told the demonstrators that they successfully forced the prime minister to call an early poll.

In fact, the offer by Mr Abhisit was the best ever since the red shirts converged on the capital in mid-March. And its political arm, the Puea Thai Party, also has a chance to win the election if it comes early. The party remains strong in many constituencies in the northern and northeastern provinces because of the popularity of deposed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his freebies and populist policies when he was in power from 2001-2006.

A quick return to administrative power is what Thaksin's supporters want to maintain the legacy of Thaksin, among other things.

But that chance had slipped away from Natthawut Saikua, Jatuporn Prompan, Weng Tojirakarn and others who are masterminding the demonstration when they promptly replied with more demands from the government, including making the deputy premier turn himself in to police.

The hardliners in the UDD wanted to corner Mr Abhisit with more conditions, while the moderate camp led by Mr Veera tried in vain to convince the others to stop the rally by accepting the prime minister's proposal.

The hard core members miscalculated that they could press for more from the prime minister after seeing him show signs of compromise. They failed to realise that the momentum was no longer on their side. Their credibility sharply dwindled in the raid at Chulalongkorn Hospital. The army and police were better coordinated and that was proved by the dispersal of demonstrators in the Don Muang area after police were reluctant to join security operations in the beginning. It is no surprise Mr Veera eventually decided to turn his back on the rally.

Now the prime minister's offer of an early poll is out of the question. The time for negotiation is gone. And instead of successfully putting more pressure on Mr Abhisit, all figureheads of the UDD have their backs to the wall following the government's decision to end all negotiation options. The mysterious shooting of renegade army specialist Khattiya Sawasdipol on Thursday is an answer to the red shirts that that is the only solution available now.

Negotiation has failed, thanks to the hardcore UDD leaders...