[Bangkok] Death toll from clashes at 36

18/05/2010
Bangkok Post

Thirty-six people have been killed, 284 wounded in clashes between protesters and troops since Friday, Erawan emergency unit said on Tuesday.

Of the wounded, 98 remain at hospitals, with 15 people being treated at the intensive care units.

Death toll rises to 30 in Thailand 'red shirt' protests

The number of injured rises to 232 in four days of fighting as government troops attempt to break up the protesters' encampment in an upscale Bangkok shopping area.

May 16, 2010
By My-Thuan Tran and Mark Magnier
Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Bangkok, Thailand, and New Delhi

The toll in four days of streetfighting in Thailand's capital rose to 30 dead and 232 injured, authorities announced Sunday as the government set a deadline of Monday afternoon for protesters to vacate their encampment in a glitzy shopping district.

Troops continued to fire high-powered rifles from behind sandbags in the direction of the protest camp they had surrounded in a bid to contain anti-government demonstrators within a roughly 1-square-mile base in downtown Bangkok's Ratchaprasong district.

In response, "red-shirt" protesters — whose more militant members have wielded firebombs, rocks, homemade rockets and a few guns against the army and police — called on supporters to hang tough, offered to negotiate if the army ended its crackdown and appealed to the United Nations to help mediate.

"We cannot appeal to any organization in Thailand to provide justice … and safety for us," said Sean Boonpacong, a spokesman for the protesters, at a news conference.

The government on Sunday rejected any negotiations that included pre-conditions following talks last week that broke down after protest leaders upped the ante.

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said Sunday there was no reason the army should withdraw since "authorities are not using weapons to crack down on civilians," only on "armed terrorists." He also urged red-shirted protesters, who have adopted the color as a virtual uniform, who are threatening security forces to "stop their actions immediately."

A plan to impose a curfew in a neighborhood known for its raucous nightlife was abandoned for "the moment," said Lt. Gen. Aksara Kerdphol, the army's assistant chief of staff. "We are still able to control the situation."

The red-shirt occupation since March of one of Bangkok's swankiest neighborhoods has been a disruption for businesses and embassies and interfered with shopping and transportation.

But a heavy downpour Sunday morning allowed both sides to catch their breath for a few hours, as protesters hung wet pants and T-shirts atop the barricades now ringing high-end hotels and shops. Others lined up for showers in makeshift facilities set up in front of a nearby shopping mall.

The demonstrators, mostly poor and made up of farmers or those of the working class, are demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva resign immediately, dissolve parliament and call new elections. They say the government is illegitimate, came to power by manipulating the courts and by cozying up to the military and embodies an elite indifferent to the plight of the poor.

Analysts said indications were that hardliners had gained the upper hand within the government, and the army was ready to storm the protest area soon. Authorities had shut off power, water, food and some cellphone coverage to the area and repeatedly warned the ragtag group to disperse, with Monday declared a school holiday.

The siege is "slow but sure," said Paul Chambers, a research fellow at Germany's Heidelberg University. "It seems the government has now gotten the green light to go in."

Authorities also appeared intent on blocking any financial support the protesters might have been receiving from former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a telecommunications tycoon ousted by the army in 2006.

Thailand's National Security Council said Sunday it was monitoring 106 bank or stock accounts held by Thaksin's family members and business associates. If any were being used to fund anti-government protesters, they would be frozen, warned Tawil Pliensri, the council's secretary-general, adding that banks and other financial institutions had been barred from making any such transfers.

Officials Sunday also urged the Red Cross and other civic groups to assist protesters willing to leave. Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, a national emergency spokesman, said in a televised address that those who left would not face charges.

Some protesters appeared to take the advice. Dozens of tents standing under the elevated railway tracks Saturday had been packed up.

"I'm tired, I feel like I haven't slept for two months," said Wassana Kongkhogkua, 58, a papaya-salad seller from the northern city of Chiang Mai who had been in the protest camp since March. She pulled up her T-shirt to reveal rashes from sleeping on the ground in the rain.

"I want to go home," she said, before quickly adding that she still supported the cause and would consider returning soon.

Red-shirt leaders advised women and children inside the enclosed area to move into a nearby Buddhist temple, hoping this would offer some refuge against well-armed troops.

Analysts said protest leaders might escape the cordon and start demonstrations outside Bangkok, a concern the government apparently shared when it extended emergency rule Sunday to five more of Thailand's 76 provinces, bringing the total to 23.

A resistant core of red-shirt supporters inside the protest area remained defiant, however. Hundreds of people sat on plastic mats before a large stage Sunday listening to speaker after speaker urging them to maintain their resolve. A large sign proclaimed: "Peaceful protesters, not terrorists."

"I will be here until everything is fair and equal, and there are no double standards," said Walangkana Tina, 48, beside sacks of rice, eggplant and banana leaves. "We are not just sitting in air-conditioned rooms. We are sleeping in the middle of the sun and the rain.

"The government is not listening to us. If they were, this would be finished already."

my-thuan.tran@latimes.com, mark.magnier@latimes.com

[Death] Toll rises to 21 dead, 858 injured [in Thailand]

April 12, 2010
By Manassa Manorat, Thanawat Jintasukhon
The Nation

Some 21 people were killed and 858 others injured in violent clashes between soldiers and redshirt demonstrators on Saturday night, a government medical service centre said yesterday.

Bangkok's Erawan Centre announced a further death yesterday evening after an earlier Public Health Ministry announcement which reported 20 deaths, five of whom were soldiers.

At Armyrun Phra Mongkul Hospital, 30 soldiers were being treated for critical wounds. They included four in a "worrying condition", senior officer Col Pheeraphol Pokpong said.

A total of 216 soldiers sustained injuries in clashes with red shirts at various locations in Bangkok. Around 100 of them were discharged after receiving treatment.

The bodies of 10 of the dead were at Central Hospital, including that of a Japanese photographer shot in the abdomen. The police forensic service is due to do autopsies on these.

Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanavisit dismissed claims that slow reporting of casualties by hospitals treating wounded people was an attempt to cover up information. He said delays stemmed from the scale of the emergency.

Redshirt demonstrators said both rubber and real bullets were fired at them during clashes. Jamroon Pakhamin, 40, said he found and collected real bullets at the scene after he was shot by rubber bullets.

Central Hospital director Phitchaya Narkwatchara said a 54yearold man was the latest casualty. Monchai saeJong succumbed to lung failure after inhaling tear gas. He was the eighth death at that hospital.

At Phra Mongkut Hospital, Lieutenant Aniwan Phimthong said he was wounded by objects thrown at him while on duty guarding a road near the UN building in Bangkok. His cheek was cut by glass from after a bottle hit his helmet.

Sgt Major Suksawas Sawasdee, assigned to guard the Thaicom ground control station in Pathum Thani, said he suffered an injured left knee after being run over by a group of protestors who brought into the site. He is currently unable to walk.

19 dead, 807 injured in Bangkok clashes

Sunday, April 11, 2010
By DUANGKAMON SAJIRAWATTANAKUL
THE NATION ON SUNDAY

At least nineteen people were reported to have died and 807 injured from clashes between security forces and red-shirt demonstrators in different parts of the capital, National Emergency Centre's director Phetpong Kamchornkijakarn said late last night.

He said of the casualties, nine were civilians and two were soldiers. Of the civilians killed, eight were red-shirt protesters, while the ninth was a Japanese man who worked as a photographer for Thomson-Reuters.

As of press time on Saturday, six of the dead, including the photographer, had been sent to Central Hospital; two sent to Hua Chiew Hospital; three to Vajira Hospital, which included two soldiers and a 50-year-old red-shirt protester who succumbed to a heart attack.

The Japanese photographer, Hiroyuki Muramoto, died from a gunshot wound to his chest.

Of the red-shirt protesters, one of the dead was identified as 38-year-old Wasan Phoothong, who worked as a tailor in Samut Prakan province; while one was a 43-year-old guard for the movement. Another red-shirt protester killed was Sawat Wa-ngam, who, according to protest leader weng Tojirakarn, had died from a head injury.

Of the two dead soldiers, one was killed by a gunshot wound to his neck.

According to reports, the biggest clash took place in Bangkok's Khok Wua intersection, where about 20 soldiers, a resident and a protester were injured. The victims were taken to hospitals nearby.

Vajira Hospital's director Dr Wanchai Charoenchokthavee said 51 injured people were admitted to the hospital, including 13 soldiers and one protester, who was sustained severe injuries to his lungs and stomach. Another protester was shot in his bottom. As of press time, the injured were undergoing surgery.

Earlier reports said another foreign journalist was shot in the head at Khok Wua intersection, and Wanchai said a foreigner called John Yinglin was among the injured. However, he could not confirm if he was a foreign journalist.

Meanwhile, Central Hospital director Dr Pitchaya Nakwatchara said yesterday that 30 injured people had been brought in from the Khok Wua intersection and Makkawan-Rangsan Bridge protest sites, of which 29 were civilians and one was a solider who had sustained head injury. Of the injured, three had gunshot wounds, including an ABC-News freelance photographer Winai Ditthajorn who was shot in his left leg.

He added that red-shirt protesters had also presented medical staff with some rubber bullets found in the clash site. Pitchaya confirmed that his hospital staff was on standby round the clock.

The hospital director later revealed X-rays of the three injured people, showing that Winai had been shot by what appeared to be a real bullet, while the two red-shirt protesters, Samak Khamsameu and Tag Benjamas, had been hit by a rubber bullet. As of press time, the three were undergoing surgery and will be under observation for three days.

Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanavisit, who is also chairman of the National Emergency Centre, said of the six soldiers sent to Siriraj Hospital, one had sustained a gunshot. He went on say that he had told all 79 emergency centres nationwide to work with Bangkok hospitals.

Emergency Medical Institute of Thailand's secretary-general Chatree Charoencheevakul said he expected the numbers of casualties to rise further, adding that he had put 1,000 medical staff and 150 ambulances on standby.

Raw Video: Thai Troops Advance on Protesters

Thai Protests Turn Fatal

Thai troops crack down on protesters - 13 Apr 09

Running battles have broken out in Bangkok's streets where troops and anti-government protesters have clashed.

Gunfire and explosions have been heard as thousands of so-called "Red Shirt" protesters demand that Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Thai prime minister, resign.

More than 70 people have been injured and many streets are deserted.

Al Jazeera's Tony Cheng reports from the Din Daeng area of Bangkok.

One killed in Bangkok gun battle

A supporter of exiled ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra uses a sling shot in front of Thai soldiers (Getty)

Monday, 13 April 2009
AP

A gunbattle in a residential area of the Thai capital has caused the first fatality in the political street fighting that has plunged Thailand in chaos.

Thousands of troops fired warning shots and tear gas at anti-government protesters rampaging across the Thai capital on Monday, forcing demonstrators to retreat and regroup for what organizers said would be a "final stand."

For 12 hours, red-shirted protesters and the soldiers locked in a series of running street battles across Bangkok that left at least 79 people injured in a major escalation of the country's ongoing political turmoil.

Malls and shops were shuttered and official celebrations for the Thai new year were canceled. More than a dozen countries, including the United States, issued travel warnings urging citizens to avoid trips to Thailand and for those already in Bangkok to stay in their hotels and away from the protests.

The violence threatens to slash tourism revenue and could lead to the loss of 200,000 jobs in the industry that directly employs about 2 million people, said Kongkrit Hiranyakit, chairman of the Tourism Council of Thailand.

It is also likely to give pause to foreign businesses considering building factories or making other investments — especially since it comes just months after a group of rival protesters occupied the capital's airports for a week, stranding thousands of tourists and businessmen and sending the economy into a tailspin.

As evening fell Monday, some of the 6,000 troops deployed in Bangkok began moving toward Government House, where the protesters have been holding out since March 26. An estimated 5,000 of the demonstrators were gathered in the area.

An army spokesman said troops fired blank bullets into the crowds and live shots overhead. "It's going to take time, and we are trying to cause as little loss as possible," said Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd.

"This will be our final stand. I beg that you return here and face them together," protest leader Jatuporn Phromphan shouted from a platform. "We will use peaceful means and stay right here to end their violence."

The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, saying his four-month-old government came to power illegally.

Hundreds of soldiers and police assembled at the Royal Plaza, about a mile (less than 2 kilometers) from the Government House confronting about 100 female protesters who knelt down and screamed "Please stop, brothers." Some hugged the soldiers.

"I don't mind dying right here if it means we become a real democracy. You can kill me right here. I am not here to cause trouble. I just want my rights," said Tanyawalai Wongsuriyaneth, 46, a female protester returning to join the rally at Government House.

Earlier, the protesters were stationed at a half-dozen points in Bangkok, defying government-imposed state-of-emergency measures that ban gatherings of more than five people.

Protesters commandeered public buses to block several key intersections, set tires and vehicles on fire and sent two unmanned buses, one of them burning, hurtling toward lines of soldiers. The bus swerved and then ricocheted off trees on the side of the road before coming to a halt, with no one injured. The other bus also crashed without injuring anyone.

In one of several confrontations, a line of troops in full battle gear fired volleys of M-16 fire, most of it aimed above the heads of protesters and turned water cannons on the crowd near Victory Monument, a major traffic circle.

Armed forces chief Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara said on nationwide television that soldiers would use "every means to end the chaos" but employ weapons only for self-defense and not "excessively."

In contrast to a complete security breakdown over the weekend, where a 16-nation Asian summit was canceled after demonstrators stormed the venue, security forces began to take action.

"The shots fired into the crowd were blank bullets. The heads are made of paper, so it only causes sound. We use these when protesters head toward soldiers to push them back. Those fired into the air are real bullets," said Sansern, the army spokesman.

The red-shirted demonstrators are supporters of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and want new elections and Abhisit's ouster. They accuse the country's elite — the military, judiciary and other unelected officials — of undermining democracy by interfering in politics.

In an interview with CNN on Monday, Thaksin accused the military of lying about firing blank bullets into the crowd, saying soldiers used live ammunition, killed protesters and dragged away their bodies. "They shot people. Many died. Many people were injured," he said.

"I would like to urge every party that comes together to gather peacefully. War never ended with war," said Thaksin, who appeared to be toning down his rhetoric. A day earlier, he phone in to a rally of supporters and called for a "revolution."

Political tensions have simmered since Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in 2006 amid accusations of corruption and abuse of power. He remains popular in the impoverished countryside for his populist policies.

His opponents — many in urban areas — took to the streets last year to help bring down two governments led by his allies, seizing Bangkok's two airports in November for about a week.

Parliament then appointed Abhisit in December after a court ordered the removal of the previous pro-Thaksin government citing fraud in the 2007 elections. Thaksin supporters took to the streets in protest, and their numbers grew to 100,000 in Bangkok last week.

Abhisit appealed Monday to the demonstrators to return to their homes, saying the government was using "the softest measures possible" against them.

"All the work I am doing is not to create fear or put pressure or to harm any group of people. It's a step by step process to restore order and stop violence," he said on nationwide television.

Monday's first and most serious clash began before dawn, as troops in full combat gear advanced to disperse the protesters, who were occupying a major junction, according to witnesses.

At the nearby Century Park Hotel, foreign tourists were seen rushing into taxis and heading for Bangkok's international airport. But others seemed unruffled.

"We're from South Africa. We don't scare easy," said Estelle Jones, a tourist from Johannesburg.

Dr. Chatri Charoenchivakul of the Erawan Emergency Coordination Center said at least 70 people were injured, most of them from tear gas, while two soldiers and two civilians suffered from gunshot wounds. Another nine people were injured in clashes elsewhere, he said.

Monday marked the beginning of the Thai new year, normally the country's most joyous holiday. The Bangkok municipal government canceled all its festivities, but despite the rioting many Thais and foreign tourists began engaging in the ritualistic water throwing and general partying.