Anusak Konglang
The Age (Australia)
Anti-government protesters massed outside the Thai premier's offices in Bangkok said that they would disperse as troops backed up by armoured vehicles tightened their grip on the city.
A day after running street battles left two dead and 113 injured, soldiers encircled thousands of protesters dug in around Government House, the offices of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, AFP reporters said.
"We held talks among the leaders since last night and have agreed that we will disperse our protesters for a while," Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, who is a core protest leader, told AFP, adding they wanted to avert loss of life.
"We are not surrendering, we are just dispersing the gathering because we have done nothing wrong," she said, after reports that the protesters loyal to ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra would give themselves up.
The announcement came after security forces tightened a cordon around the estimated 2,000 protesters left at the site.
The government said it wanted a peaceful end to the crisis, after security forces Monday used tear gas and automatic weapons to clear the rest of Bangkok -- which remains under a state of emergency -- of pro-Thaksin demonstrators.
"Today we will rely on negotiation and pressure with the protesters. We still have time although we want the situation to end swiftly," government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn told AFP earlier.
He added that the government was ready to compromise with demonstrators by allowing them to rally in agreed areas so Abhisit can return to work at his offices by Thursday.
Hundreds of soldiers brandishing assault rifles and carrying riot shields moved closer shortly after Panitan spoke, and armoured personnel carriers and Humvees blocked off all access points to Government House.
The military used loudspeakers mounted on trucks to issued further warnings to disperse or face the consequences.
The number of protesters at the site fell to around 2,500 overnight as the pressure appeared to tell on Thaksin's so-called "Red Shirts" after hours of running battles in sweltering heat on Monday.
"The situation at the rally site last night was very tense because we were surrounded by soldiers and there were constant rumours that they would start a crackdown," protest leader Chinawat Haboonpard told AFP by telephone.
Army spokesman Colonel Sunsern Kaewkumnerd said protesters opened fire on two security checkpoints during the night, critically injuring one soldier.
He also said troops had suppressed protests in three provinces on Monday, during which demonstrators took control of a television station and a railway terminal.
Abhisit has hailed the success of the military campaign to dislodge the protesters, amid fears of a repeat of the violence in Bangkok last October in which two people died and 500 were injured.
He remains under huge pressure to end the crisis quickly to prevent further damage to Thailand's international image, after years of unrest following the military coup that ousted Thaksin in 2006.
Several countries advised tourists not to travel to Thailand or to exercise caution if they are already there, while the US State Department condemned the "unacceptable violence" by the protesters.
Bangkok emergency services on Tuesday confirmed that the toll from clashes between security forces, demonstrators and local residents stood at two dead and 113 people wounded, with 44 still being treated in hospital.
On Monday, troops unleashed volleys of gunfire and hurled tear gas at the protesters, who sent buses hurtling towards lines of soldiers and torched a government ministry with petrol bombs.
The protesters were forced to retreat to Government House, where as night fell residents erected roadblocks and armed themselves with guns and swords, setting the stage for a deadly confrontation with the "Red Shirts".
The Red Shirts want Abhisit to quit and call new elections, saying he came to power through an undemocratic parliamentary vote following a court ruling that drove Thaksin's allies from office.
Analysts say there is little hope of a long-term solution to Thailand's problems so long as it remains divided between Thaksin's mostly poor supporters and his foes in the power circles of the palace, military and bureaucracy.
A day after running street battles left two dead and 113 injured, soldiers encircled thousands of protesters dug in around Government House, the offices of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, AFP reporters said.
"We held talks among the leaders since last night and have agreed that we will disperse our protesters for a while," Prateep Ungsongtham Hata, who is a core protest leader, told AFP, adding they wanted to avert loss of life.
"We are not surrendering, we are just dispersing the gathering because we have done nothing wrong," she said, after reports that the protesters loyal to ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra would give themselves up.
The announcement came after security forces tightened a cordon around the estimated 2,000 protesters left at the site.
The government said it wanted a peaceful end to the crisis, after security forces Monday used tear gas and automatic weapons to clear the rest of Bangkok -- which remains under a state of emergency -- of pro-Thaksin demonstrators.
"Today we will rely on negotiation and pressure with the protesters. We still have time although we want the situation to end swiftly," government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn told AFP earlier.
He added that the government was ready to compromise with demonstrators by allowing them to rally in agreed areas so Abhisit can return to work at his offices by Thursday.
Hundreds of soldiers brandishing assault rifles and carrying riot shields moved closer shortly after Panitan spoke, and armoured personnel carriers and Humvees blocked off all access points to Government House.
The military used loudspeakers mounted on trucks to issued further warnings to disperse or face the consequences.
The number of protesters at the site fell to around 2,500 overnight as the pressure appeared to tell on Thaksin's so-called "Red Shirts" after hours of running battles in sweltering heat on Monday.
"The situation at the rally site last night was very tense because we were surrounded by soldiers and there were constant rumours that they would start a crackdown," protest leader Chinawat Haboonpard told AFP by telephone.
Army spokesman Colonel Sunsern Kaewkumnerd said protesters opened fire on two security checkpoints during the night, critically injuring one soldier.
He also said troops had suppressed protests in three provinces on Monday, during which demonstrators took control of a television station and a railway terminal.
Abhisit has hailed the success of the military campaign to dislodge the protesters, amid fears of a repeat of the violence in Bangkok last October in which two people died and 500 were injured.
He remains under huge pressure to end the crisis quickly to prevent further damage to Thailand's international image, after years of unrest following the military coup that ousted Thaksin in 2006.
Several countries advised tourists not to travel to Thailand or to exercise caution if they are already there, while the US State Department condemned the "unacceptable violence" by the protesters.
Bangkok emergency services on Tuesday confirmed that the toll from clashes between security forces, demonstrators and local residents stood at two dead and 113 people wounded, with 44 still being treated in hospital.
On Monday, troops unleashed volleys of gunfire and hurled tear gas at the protesters, who sent buses hurtling towards lines of soldiers and torched a government ministry with petrol bombs.
The protesters were forced to retreat to Government House, where as night fell residents erected roadblocks and armed themselves with guns and swords, setting the stage for a deadly confrontation with the "Red Shirts".
The Red Shirts want Abhisit to quit and call new elections, saying he came to power through an undemocratic parliamentary vote following a court ruling that drove Thaksin's allies from office.
Analysts say there is little hope of a long-term solution to Thailand's problems so long as it remains divided between Thaksin's mostly poor supporters and his foes in the power circles of the palace, military and bureaucracy.
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