Thailand’s anti-government protesters canceled plans to march on Bangkok’s financial hub yesterday, as authorities warned they would face tear gas and live weapons fire in any fresh clashes.
Ten days after 25 people were killed and 800 injured in a failed attempt to dislodge the red-shirted demonstrators, the government said it was determined to end four weeks of rallies, but would not give a date for the crackdown.
The army also toughened its stance on the demonstrators who have paralyzed parts of the capital and forced major shopping centers to close, wreaking havoc on the economy and the tourism industry in particular.
“Security forces will begin by firing tear gas and if they cannot stop protesters, then soldiers will start taking decisive action with live bullets,” Thai army spokesman Colonel Sunsern Kaewkumnerd said.
Sunsern targeted shadowy black-clad provocateurs accused of starting the April 10 violence, who have been disowned by both sides of Thailand’s political divide, referring to them as “terrorists.”
“We have received intelligence from the field that terrorists are armed with hand grenades, Molotov cocktails and acid,” he said after a meeting chaired by Thai army chief Anupong Paojinda.
Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, in charge of national security, also warned that the troops deployed in downtown Bangkok were equipped with weapons and live ammunition and were authorized to fire in self-defense.
“The government intends to enforce the law, but that does not mean it will happen today or tomorrow,” he said of looming plans to shut down the movement. “Everything will be carefully implemented to lessen damage ... I cannot say when.”
The “Red Shirts,” who are encamped in Bangkok’s retail heartland, had threatened to march yesterday to the nearby Silom financial district, but were thwarted when armed troops and riot police descended on Monday.
“Red Shirt protesters will not march into Silom Road because the government has already sent tens of thousands of armed soldiers to occupy the road,” Red Shirt leader Nattawut Saikuar said.
The deployment saw rolls of razor wire rolled out along the financial strip, which is packed with bank headquarters and corporate towers, and knots of soldiers take up positions on overhead walkways.
Nattawut said the Red Shirts would not make any alternative plans for a march, but would focus on bolstering numbers at their rally base which stretches along 4km of some of Bangkok’s major thoroughfares.
“Before we go into the big battle we have to strengthen our own camp because the military will soon attack us,” Nattawut said, adding that they expect the army to make its move some time before Monday.
The crowds at the Red Shirts’ camp, a formidable logistical base that offers food, entertainment and facilities for washing and sleeping, have hit 100,000 in the past, but dwindled yesterday to 6,500 in a usual mid-week lull.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who is resisting calls to stand down and announce fresh elections, said the government knows “the people are suffering,” but added that it could not be rushed into taking action.
“Both the government and the people want this to end quickly, but we have to think about many factors,” he said on television late on Monday. “We have to minimize the damage and do this effectively.”
The protesters are mainly supporters of former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and is now living in exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption.
The Red Shirts say that Abhisit’s government is illegitimate because it came to power in a parliamentary vote, not a popular election, and that it is the tool of Thailand’s palace, military and bureaucratic circles.
A rival faction, the elite-backed “Yellow Shirts,” vowed on Sunday to take action if the government fails to deal with the protesters within a week, raising fears of new clashes.
Archeologists in Peru on Thursday said they found the 5,000-year-old remains of a noblewoman at the sacred city of Caral, revealing the important role played by women in the oldest center of civilization in the Americas. “What has been discovered corresponds to a woman who apparently had elevated status, an elite woman,” archeologist David Palomino said. The mummy was found in Aspero, a sacred site within the city of Caral that was a garbage dump for more than 30 years until becoming an archeological site in the 1990s. Palomino said the carefully preserved remains, dating to 3,000BC, contained skin, part of the
‘WATER WARFARE’: A Pakistani official called India’s suspension of a 65-year-old treaty on the sharing of waters from the Indus River ‘a cowardly, illegal move’ Pakistan yesterday canceled visas for Indian nationals, closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country. The retaliatory measures follow India’s decision to suspend visas for Pakistani nationals in the aftermath of a deadly attack by shooters in Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. The rare attack on civilians shocked and outraged India and prompted calls for action against their country’s archenemy, Pakistan. New Delhi did not publicly produce evidence connecting the attack to its neighbor, but said it had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. Pakistan denied any connection to
TRUMP EFFECT: The win capped one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Canadian political history after the Conservatives had led the Liberals by more than 20 points Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney yesterday pledged to win US President Donald Trump’s trade war after winning Canada’s election and leading his Liberal Party to another term in power. Following a campaign dominated by Trump’s tariffs and annexation threats, Carney promised to chart “a new path forward” in a world “fundamentally changed” by a US that is newly hostile to free trade. “We are over the shock of the American betrayal, but we should never forget the lessons,” said Carney, who led the central banks of Canada and the UK before entering politics earlier this year. “We will win this trade war and
Armed with 4,000 eggs and a truckload of sugar and cream, French pastry chefs on Wednesday completed a 121.8m-long strawberry cake that they have claimed is the world’s longest ever made. Youssef El Gatou brought together 20 chefs to make the 1.2 tonne masterpiece that took a week to complete and was set out on tables in an ice rink in the Paris suburb town of Argenteuil for residents to inspect. The effort overtook a 100.48m-long strawberry cake made in the Italian town of San Mauro Torinese in 2019. El Gatou’s cake also used 350kg of strawberries, 150kg of sugar and 415kg of
RSS