Wednesday 28 April 2010

Thailand's red shirt protests - update

One soldier is feared dead and at least 10 people were injured in violent clashes between Thai troops and red-shirted protesters in a suburb of Bangkok.

 

Along Vibhavadi-Rangsit road, riot squads fired into the air to push protesters back 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. A heavy afternoon downpour halted the fighting, at least temporarily.

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.

"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."

Posted via email from Pattaya Post

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