/ 15 April 2009

Bangkok protesters call off rallies as troops surround them

Leaders of anti-government demonstrations that created chaos in the Thai capital, Bangkok, called off their protests on Wednesday after they were surrounded by troops on Tuesday night.

About 2 000 protesters, supporters of the former prime minster Thaksin Shinawatra, began to abandon their encampment around government buildings, which they have occupied since March 26, following two days of rioting that left two dead and more than 120 injured.

Suporn Attawong, one of the leaders, said that ”we will not allow more deaths”. Another leader, Jatuporn Phromphan, told Reuters: ”We have to stop because we need to look after the lives of our supporters.” But the red-shirted group also vowed that they would return to the streets.

For now their retreat is boost for the Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who declared a state of emergency in Bangkok on Sunday and refused to negotiate with Thaksin.

Thai troops had used teargas, water cannon and volleys of semi-automatic warning shots throughout Tuesday in an attempt to take control.

At least 113 people were injured as mobs of Thaksin supporters resisted attempts by troops to clear them from the streets by setting fire to barricades of tyres, lobbing at least one Molotov cocktail, and directing a blazing bus towards the ranks of soldiers. Inside the military cordon, about 3 000 or 4 000 anti-government supporters had erected basic barricades made from wooden stages and congregated around Government House, listening to speeches through the night. Some carried Molotov cocktails, and a smell of petrol hung in the air.

Thaksin, who was accused of corruption, was ousted in 2006 after a military coup, the 18th in the historically shaky semi-democracy. He remains a divisive figure, accused of corruption by urban Thais, but widely supported by the rural poor.

Abhisit, an Oxford-educated economist, became prime minister in December after a court ordered the removal of the previous pro-Thaksin government, citing electoral fraud, but Abhisit has faced growing protests. The government was humiliated at the weekend when Thaksin supporters smashed their way into a summit of south-east Asian leaders in the resort of Pattaya, forcing the evacuation of regional dignitaries by helicopter.

In a nationwide broadcast on Tuesday, Abhisit appealed to the demonstrators to go home, saying the government was using ”the softest measures possible” to restore calm.

”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 in an interview broadcast on national television.

But Abhisit’s authority has been undermined. At the weekend, his car was attacked by a mob wielding wooden staves. A senior aide suffered head injuries and broken ribs.

Early on Tuesday, troops moved to regain control. Before dawn, dozens of soldiers carrying riot shields and automatic weapons attempted to regain control of the Din Daeng intersection, a key point in the city’s traffic system.

The protesters responded by threatening to set fire to a fuel tanker blocking the road outside an apartment block. Residents with sticks and metal poles then rushed out to defend their homes, prompting an angry three-way stand-off. Around the Victory Monument soldiers sprayed hundreds of M16 rounds into the air and fired water cannon at the demonstrators.

The Thai media have also reported counter-attacks by blue-shirted supporters of the ”establishment”, thought to be a reference to the Thai royal family.

In an internet address to supporters on Sunday night, Thaksin called for a revolution that would allow him to return.

”Now that they have tanks on the streets, it is time for the people to come out in revolution. And when it is necessary, I will come back to the country,” he said in a video link projected on giant screens.

The violent divisions appear certain to damage Thailand’s tourist industry, a pillar of the economy, at a time when the country is already reeling from the impact of the global financial crisis. About 812 000 British nationals visited Thailand in 2008, according to the Thai tourism authority.

At Bangkok’s airport and train station on Tuesday night, many tourists were trying to leave. ”I’ve felt worried all day,” said Suzanne Hall (29) from London. ”On the way to the airport, we saw smoke billowing from four buildings and a tank on the other side of the road. I was really scared. I suddenly felt very vulnerable.” – guardian.co.uk