Thai security forces fired into a crowd of anti-government protesters during a clash just outside Bangkok yesterday as they tried to keep the Red Shirts from expanding their demonstrations from a base in the capital. One soldier was killed and at least 18 protesters were hurt.
The troops appeared to be shooting live ammunition as well as rubber bullets in the confrontation along a major road connecting Bangkok with its northern suburbs that security forces had blocked with razor wire.
The Red Shirts, whose protests have paralyzed parts of the capital for weeks in their campaign to bring down a government they view as illegitimate, had announced that they were widening their demonstrations and dared the military to stop them as hundreds headed on motorbikes and pickup trucks to a planned rally in a suburb.
PHOTO: AFP
Along Vibhavadi-Rangsit road, riot squads fired into the air to push back protesters, but several tried to remove the razor wire, prompting troops to level their rifles and shoot directly at protesters who fled into oncoming traffic. Police huddled behind riot shields, while soldiers wielding rifles took up positions behind concrete pylons.
The confrontation was chaotic and at one point security forces fired on a group of troops riding toward them on motorbikes in what appeared to be an accident, although some members of the security forces have been accused of siding with the protesters. At least four motorbikes crashed and one soldier was carried away on a stretcher, bleeding profusely from the head. Several others from the group threw their hands in the air.
The government’s Erawan emergency center said a soldier was killed and 18 people wounded during the clash.
The confrontation ended yesterday evening and the protesters headed back to their enclave.
The shooting, however, raised concerns that more violence was to come after government warnings that patience was running out in the seven-week standoff.
Am army spokesman, Sansern Kaewkamnerd, said troops were told to use rubber bullets, but they also had authority to use live ammunition for self-defense.
“We brought force out to stop them. At this point, society finds it unacceptable to have protesters traveling in a motorcade like this,” Sansern said. “We try our best to prevent losses.”
The demonstration appeared intended to provoke the government, which has repeatedly said it would not tolerate protests beyond the Red Shirts’ enclave in the city.
At least 26 people have been killed and nearly 1,000 wounded since protesters began occupying parts of Bangkok last month, barricading major roads with tires and bamboo sticks and forcing the closure of some of the city’s ritziest malls and hotels.
The Red Shirts said they were sending a team of activists to drum up support at an outdoor market north of the capital.
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court agreed yesterday to consider a recommendation by the Election Commission to dissolve the ruling Democrat party for alleged misuse of government money, a court official said.
The official said declined to give a timeframe for the case but said the Democrats would be asked to provide a written defence.
The case centers on allegations of misuse of a grant from the commission.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS