BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Hundreds of pro-government activists in Thailand attacked an opposition rally with axes and sticks Thursday, injuring at least 20 protesters, three seriously, an official said.
It was the worst violence in a long-running feud between supporters of the ruling People's Power Party, aligned with ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and members of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy.
Supoj Laowansiri, the governor of the northeastern province of Udon Thani, said about 600 supporters of the ruling party armed with axes and sticks attacked 100 members of the anti-government group, known as PAD. The northeast is a government stronghold.
The Nation newspaper said on its Web site that one of the protesters had died, but Supoj and other officials did not confirm the report.
«I am sorry this happened even though we prepared about 400 policemen to provide security for them,» Supoj said. Police are investigating the clash and charges could be filed against those responsible, he said.
PAD, made up of assorted pro-democracy and royalist groups and elements of the military, led months of demonstrations that ended in Thaksin's ouster in a September 2006 military coup for alleged corruption and abuse of power. It resumed its protests in May, calling for the removal of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej.
The group contends that Samak is little more than a proxy for Thaksin. Samak has been accused of trying to amend the military-backed constitution to prevent Thaksin from facing justice.
Banned from politics for another four years, Thaksin faces an array of corruption-related charges.
PAD has lately seized on a territorial dispute near Cambodia's ancient Preah Vihear temple along the Thai border, attacking Samak's government for initially supporting Cambodia's application to UNESCO for the temple complex to be listed as a World Heritage Site. The application was recently approved, and PAD argues that it undermines Thailand's claim to land around the temple.
Samak has accused the protesters of trying to undermine his democratically elected government.
Thaksin retains great popularity among the rural poor for being the first prime minister in modern Thai history to truly reach down to the grass-roots level and for introducing a slew of social welfare plans, including virtually free medical care.
It was the worst violence in a long-running feud between supporters of the ruling People's Power Party, aligned with ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and members of the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy.
Supoj Laowansiri, the governor of the northeastern province of Udon Thani, said about 600 supporters of the ruling party armed with axes and sticks attacked 100 members of the anti-government group, known as PAD. The northeast is a government stronghold.
The Nation newspaper said on its Web site that one of the protesters had died, but Supoj and other officials did not confirm the report.
«I am sorry this happened even though we prepared about 400 policemen to provide security for them,» Supoj said. Police are investigating the clash and charges could be filed against those responsible, he said.
PAD, made up of assorted pro-democracy and royalist groups and elements of the military, led months of demonstrations that ended in Thaksin's ouster in a September 2006 military coup for alleged corruption and abuse of power. It resumed its protests in May, calling for the removal of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej.
The group contends that Samak is little more than a proxy for Thaksin. Samak has been accused of trying to amend the military-backed constitution to prevent Thaksin from facing justice.
Banned from politics for another four years, Thaksin faces an array of corruption-related charges.
PAD has lately seized on a territorial dispute near Cambodia's ancient Preah Vihear temple along the Thai border, attacking Samak's government for initially supporting Cambodia's application to UNESCO for the temple complex to be listed as a World Heritage Site. The application was recently approved, and PAD argues that it undermines Thailand's claim to land around the temple.
Samak has accused the protesters of trying to undermine his democratically elected government.
Thaksin retains great popularity among the rural poor for being the first prime minister in modern Thai history to truly reach down to the grass-roots level and for introducing a slew of social welfare plans, including virtually free medical care.
