Violence continues in Bangkok

May 17, 2010

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The Violence continues in Bangkok, Thailand

It was unclear whether the Thai military or the protesters were shooting, he said.The shots were echoing off the tall buildings and hotels that line Lumpini Park, where the protesters are gathered. The normally bustling city was otherwise “deathly quiet” as the shots rang out, he said.

The government on Sunday expanded a state of emergency to more provinces, as fears of unrest elsewhere in the country appeared to grow and the death toll from days of street battles in Bangkok rose to at least 29.

The state of emergency was extended to five more provinces, bringing the total to 22 provinces and the Thai capital, spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said.

The regions affected are primarily in the north and northeast of Thailand, areas traditionally a stronghold for the “Red Shirt” opposition movement.

The government has also banned financial transactions with 106 companies and individuals over the protests, Panitan said. Additionally, the Thai government declared holidays on Monday and Tuesday in the Bangkok area. The start of the new Thai school term has been postponed until May 24 because of the unrest.

The moves came as anti-government protesters in Thailand said they were ready to resume negotiations if Thai authorities withdraw troops waging deadly street battles with demonstrators in the center of Bangkok. Five more people were killed on Sunday, according to hospital officials.

Natthawut Saikua, a leader in the opposition United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, said the protesters wanted U.N.-mediated talks aimed at resolving weeks of political unrest which has seen thousands of Red Shirts occupy an area of central Bangkok.

The Red Shirts support ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and want Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to call fresh elections.

“We ask the government to … withdraw troops out of surrounding area,” Natthawut said. “We are ready to enter talks immediately by having the U.N. as mediator for this negotiation.”

However, the government seemed disinclined to have the U.N. mediate. Wattanayagorn, the government spokesman, said in a televised news conference that the Thai government has a policy of not allowing organizations to intervene in its internal affairs.

The government has its own sovereignty, Panitan said, and can resolve its own problems. Panitan said the government demands that the protesters stop confronting police. “Stop firing and enter the judicial process,” he said.

“The government has been under pressure to be more decisive in its action,” a senior Thai government official told CNN. “We have been showing patience and restraint.”

That, he said, has upset those who want the government to take action against the protesters. The official said the Red Shirts were “armed to the teeth” with weapons including rocket launchers, handguns and gas bombs. He accused protesters of deliberately provoking clashes with soldiers in order to get “pictures of soldiers using violence to undermine the government.”

“If the protesters didn’t have any arms, there would be no way the soldiers need to be armed,” the official said. “… They have been rallying people to burn the town down. They have shown intent in using and causing violence [and a] willingness to follow up with that intent. In that situation government … has to act.”

The hard-core protesters “don’t want a peace offer,” the official said. “They don’t want a peaceful resolution to this.”

While CNN reporters in Bangkok have not seen protesters using rocket launchers, it is believed they may have them.

“If the Thai army was shooting indiscriminately on the streets, there would be hundreds dead,” the senior government official said. “That is not the case.” The official did acknowledge that there is some army shooting, however, because of high tensions.

Col. Sunsern Kaewkamnerd of the Center for Resolution of Emergency Situation said soldiers had been authorized to open fire when armed people approach within a certain distance.

Thai authorities backed down from earlier plans to impose a curfew in Bangkok, claiming that the tense situation in the center of the city was under control.

Lt. General Aksara Kerdpol said a curfew was “not necessary for now,” although authorities had not ruled out imposing one if circumstances changed. While allowing security forces to identify “terrorists,” Aksara said a curfew would also inconvenience Thai citizens not involved in the protests.

If officials impose a curfew, men will need to register before leaving the affected area, authorities said. Demonstrators who leave before then may be exempt from charges for participating in illegal demonstrations, Sunsern said.

During his weekly televised address on Saturday, Abhisit, the prime minister, warned that the longer the protest continues, the higher the risk for the public.

Abhisit said the government’s actions were necessary to prevent Thailand from sinking into lawlessness. He said security forces and his administration are attempting to counter a small group of protesters among the opposition Red Shirts trying to foment civil war.

“The government proposed a reconciliation plan but it was rejected. This benefits no one. It only benefits a small group which wants to harm the country and lead it to civil war. It is unbelievable that they use people’s lives for political advantage,” he said.

Protesters armed with slingshots and firecrackers huddled behind barricades of tires, spikes and poles Sunday. They set tires afire to create smokescreens as bullets flew around them.

Security forces rolled out razor wire and erected warning signs Saturday as they surrounded the area where the protesters have been clustered, CNN’s Rivers reported. He said Thai troops had also come under fire, although it was unclear who was shooting at them.

Eyewitnesses recounted stories of unarmed people being picked off. One man was shot and whisked away by emergency crews. People at the scene pointed to a building where they thought snipers were based.

“The protesters clearly blame the army for the deadly force,” said CNN’s Sara Sidner from the scene of the protests. “There is no way to know for sure who exactly is doing the shooting but neither of the people we saw injured were armed.”

The escalating violence prompted the U.S. Embassy to issue a travel warning Saturday advising Americans to defer travel to Bangkok. The embassy will remain closed on Monday, a spokeswoman said. Several other countries, including the UK, Germany, Japan, Canada, New Zealand and the Netherlands have also advised against travel to Bangkok.

The government said it was forced to take action after demonstrators disregarded an ultimatum by Abhisit to vacate a key intersection by Wednesday.

Tensions ramped up when Maj. Gen. Khattiya Sawasdipol — a renegade general better known as Seh Daeng, which means Red Commander — was shot and wounded by a sniper’s bullet Thursday, leaving him hospitalized in critical condition.

CNN’s Zain Verjee, Sara Sidner, Dan Rivers and Kocha Olarn contributed to this report.

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