Thailand maintained a state of emergency across Bangkok to ensure security yesterday, a day after soldiers quelled anti-government protests that left two dead and plunged the kingdom into chaos.
The government said troops would remain on the streets despite arresting three protest leaders and issuing warrants for fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and other leaders over the bloody street battles.
“The situation is under control. The government will keep watching the situation and monitor the movements of leaders who are not in detention,” government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said. “The prime minister wants to lift the state of emergency as soon as he can because he does not want to affect business.”
Security checkpoints were in place around the capital, which was quiet as residents enjoyed a final day of Buddhist New Year celebrations ahead of an extra two days of public holiday announced in the wake of the riots.
Thailand issued an arrest warrant on Tuesday for Thaksin for inciting thousands of demonstrators who staged a three-week rally at Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s offices to demand he resign.
The protest escalated with the storming of a regional summit last weekend, forcing its closure, before a bloody showdown in Bangkok between demonstrators and troops.
The protesters dispersed from on Tuesday amid threats of further military action.
The Nation newspaper said the peaceful ending of the riots had strengthened Abhisit who would “be respected and considered a capable and mature leader who can lead Thailand into the future.”
But editorials agreed on the urgent need for national reconciliation to unite Thai society, which is bitterly divided between Thaksin’s largely poor supporters and the government backed by the army and the Bangkok elite.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
NO EXCUSES: Marcos said his administration was acting on voters’ demands, but an academic said the move was emotionally motivated after a poor midterm showing Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday sought the resignation of all his Cabinet secretaries, in a move seen as an attempt to reset the political agenda and assert his authority over the second half of his single six-year term. The order came after the president’s allies failed to win a majority of Senate seats contested in the 12 polls on Monday last week, leaving Marcos facing a divided political and legislative landscape that could thwart his attempts to have an ally succeed him in 2028. “He’s talking to the people, trying to salvage whatever political capital he has left. I think it’s
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
RSS