State of emergency declared in Thailand
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Reuters
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Nisan 13, 2009 00:00
BANGKOK - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency yesterday to quell political unrest and threatened to take tough action against protesters who are gathering in greater numbers in Bangkok.
Troops fired into the air when anti-government protesters stormed the interior ministry later yesterday. The crowds mobbed the prime minister's car and beat it with clubs as he drove away from the ministry.
Supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra triggered the emergency when they stormed the venue of an Asian summit in the southern resort of Pattaya, forcing the government to cancel the meetings. Some leaders had to flee by helicopter.
After declaring victory there, the "red shirt" Thaksin supporters have been gathering all day at Government House in central Bangkok. In his nightly phone-in to the demonstration, Thaksin said now was the "golden time" for the protesters to rise up against the government after soldiers deployed on Bangkok streets. Thaksin is in voluntary exile somewhere abroad.
Thaksin ready to return
Thaksin repeated his call for a "people's revolution" and said he was ready to move back to Thailand to lead a people's uprising if there was a coup.
Thailand has seen 18 coups since 1932 and another one is certainly a possibility if there is blood in the streets.
The canceled summit and now the heightened tensions in the capital have undermined confidence in the government and dealt another blow to the economy, still reeling from last year's political chaos and the global financial crisis, analysts said.
Abhisit appeared on television to warn Thaksin's supporters they face tough measures under the state of emergency. "We want to ask you to stop such action. It is necessary for the government to adopt the measures allowed in the emergency decree, in order to get the nation back to peace," he said in a televised statement, hours after his car was attacked.
Some armored vehicles have appeared on the streets but no action has been reported. Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who oversees security, urged the military and police to do their job. "Actions must be taken promptly and order be restored as soon as possible. Your superiors and I will take responsibility for all your actions," he said in a statement on television.
Up to 300 police with riot shields were deployed about 200 meters (yards) from the demonstration at Government House -- the focus of the protests since late March.
Leaders of the pro-Thaksin United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, or UDD said they were holding one of Abhisit's security guards, claiming he had shot dead a protester at the ministry. Independent witnesses saw no one shot and Abhisit's spokesman, Thepthai Senpong, dismissed it as propaganda.
Speaking from a makeshift stage, UDD leader Jakrapob Penkair said the Thaksin supporters were ready to defend themselves. "They are trying to force us into a people's war. We will bring more people to Government House because the best way to defend ourselves is with numbers," he said.
Supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra triggered the emergency when they stormed the venue of an Asian summit in the southern resort of Pattaya, forcing the government to cancel the meetings. Some leaders had to flee by helicopter.
After declaring victory there, the "red shirt" Thaksin supporters have been gathering all day at Government House in central Bangkok. In his nightly phone-in to the demonstration, Thaksin said now was the "golden time" for the protesters to rise up against the government after soldiers deployed on Bangkok streets. Thaksin is in voluntary exile somewhere abroad.
Thaksin ready to return
Thaksin repeated his call for a "people's revolution" and said he was ready to move back to Thailand to lead a people's uprising if there was a coup.
Thailand has seen 18 coups since 1932 and another one is certainly a possibility if there is blood in the streets.
The canceled summit and now the heightened tensions in the capital have undermined confidence in the government and dealt another blow to the economy, still reeling from last year's political chaos and the global financial crisis, analysts said.
Abhisit appeared on television to warn Thaksin's supporters they face tough measures under the state of emergency. "We want to ask you to stop such action. It is necessary for the government to adopt the measures allowed in the emergency decree, in order to get the nation back to peace," he said in a televised statement, hours after his car was attacked.
Some armored vehicles have appeared on the streets but no action has been reported. Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who oversees security, urged the military and police to do their job. "Actions must be taken promptly and order be restored as soon as possible. Your superiors and I will take responsibility for all your actions," he said in a statement on television.
Up to 300 police with riot shields were deployed about 200 meters (yards) from the demonstration at Government House -- the focus of the protests since late March.
Leaders of the pro-Thaksin United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, or UDD said they were holding one of Abhisit's security guards, claiming he had shot dead a protester at the ministry. Independent witnesses saw no one shot and Abhisit's spokesman, Thepthai Senpong, dismissed it as propaganda.
Speaking from a makeshift stage, UDD leader Jakrapob Penkair said the Thaksin supporters were ready to defend themselves. "They are trying to force us into a people's war. We will bring more people to Government House because the best way to defend ourselves is with numbers," he said.