Anti-government protesters briefly stormed Thailand’s parliament building yesterday, as lawmakers scaled walls to flee and a Black Hawk helicopter evacuated VIPs trapped by the encircling crowd, officials said.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva later declared a state of emergency in Bangkok, handing the army broad powers to restore order after weeks of disruptive street protests by anti-government demonstrators.
“Red Shirt” protesters earlier yesterday smashed through the parliament compound gate with a truck and rushed to the second floor while Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban and other lawmakers were still inside. However, the protesters later withdrew from the building at the request of opposition lawmakers.
PHOTO: AFP
CAPO, the government security agency, sent a Black Hawk helicopter carrying five soldiers armed with M-16 rifles onto the parliament helipad to pick up ministers and lawmakers trapped inside, the agency said in a statement. INN television said Suthep was among those evacuated.
The Red Shirts have been camped in Bangkok since March 12 and say they will continue protests until Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva dissolves parliament and calls new elections.
Abhisit, who left parliament before the break-in to attend a scheduled meeting, has canceled a trip to Washington to attend an international nuclear summit next week, an aide said.
The Red Shirts virtually have had the run of the city since Tuesday, when police and army troops made little effort to block them from triumphant, motorized rallies through central Bangkok.
The Red Shirt movement — known formally as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship — contends Abhisit came to power illegitimately after Thaksin Shinawatra was removed as prime minister in a 2006 coup amid corruption allegations. The group is made up largely of Thaksin supporters and pro-democracy activists who opposed the putsch.
In an incident reflecting unwillingness of security forces to get tough, a scuffle broke out between a lawmaker from a pro-Thaksin party and a soldier carrying an M-16.
“This is the parliament. Why are you carrying a gun?” the lawmaker shouted and then chased the soldier out of the building where Red Shirts wrestled him to the ground and seized his weapons.
The protesters then turned the guns over to authorities.
The storming of the parliament was led by Arisman Pongruengrong, a hardcore leader who last year orchestrated the take-over of a major conference, forcing the evacuation of Asian leaders by helicopters and boats.
Abhisit on Tuesday defended his government’s gentle approach against rowdy demonstrators who blocked major roads and pushed through lines of soldiers, saying the government “eased our security measures to ensure that no confrontation would spiral out of control” and the situation required “careful maneuvering.”
However, many Thai newspapers yesterday questioned whether Abhisit was losing the confrontation with the protesters and the crucial backing of the military and police.
“If I were the prime minister, I would have got rid of those who would not carry out my orders,” said Prasong Soonsiri, a former head of the National Security Council.
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