Thai protesters defy police with Bangkok marches Skip to main content

Thai protesters defy police with Bangkok marches

Anti-government protesters in Thailand have defied a government ban to march through more areas of Bangkok, shutting down parts of the city.
The government had ordered the red-shirts, as the protesters are known, not to demonstrate along 11 key routes.

But the reds, who are calling on the government to step down, fanned out into Bangkok's business district.
The move followed scuffles earlier in the day between riot police and protesters.
No-one was hurt but it marked the first clash since the protests began almost a month ago.
A BBC correspondent in Bangkok says that the situation is now very fluid and unpredictable.
'Offensive move'
The red-shirts have now established two camps in Bangkok - one in the government district and another in the city's commercial hub.
Their blockade has caused shops to close and tourists to leave hotels.
If there's anything blocking us, break in with peace
Protest leader Nattawut Saikua
Early on Tuesday, they announced plans to march through parts of the city declared off-limits by the government.
Brief scuffles broke out as riot police blocked their way. Protesters pelted police with eggs and plastic bottles, but the scuffles subsided with no injury to either side.
The red-shirts then suspended their plans only to reinstate them hours later.
"From now we will make an offensive move," a protest leader Nattawut Saikua told the crowd. "Let our people ... march to all the banned 11 routes immediately. If there's anything blocking us, break in with peace."
Anti-government protesters use barriers to push back riot police 
in Bangkok, Thailand, 6 April 2010
Some red-shirts clashed briefly with riot police in Bangkok
Groups of red-shirts then rallied in Bangkok's business district, carrying flags and riding on motorbikes.
The security forces have said publicly that they will not use force to disperse the protestors.
But the BBC's South East Asia correspondent, Rachel Harvey, says that having kept a deliberately low profile for weeks, they are now a very visible presence.
The government sought to calm the atmosphere.
"The rally is illegal, but there will be no crackdown. We will review our measures," army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said.
Both sides have said from the start that they want to avoid violence. A court ruled on Monday that the government had the power to evict the protesters under existing special security legislation.
More than three years after the army deposed Thaksin Shinawatra as Thailand's prime minister, instability continues to grip the country.
The red-shirts are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who came to power after a military-backed coup.
They say they will not move from Bangkok until their demands are met. Last week the two sides held talks but discussions broke up without resolution.

BBC NEWS

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Chronology of the Press in Burma

1836 – 1846 * During this period the first English-language newspaper was launched under British-ruled Tenasserim, southern  Burma . The first ethnic Karen-language and Burmese-language newspapers also appear in this period.     March 3, 1836 —The first English-language newspaper,  The Maulmain Chronicle , appears in the city of Moulmein in British-ruled Tenasserim. The paper, first published by a British official named E.A. Blundell, continued up until the 1950s. September 1842 —Tavoy’s  Hsa-tu-gaw  (the  Morning Star ), a monthly publication in the Karen-language of  Sgaw ,  is established by the Baptist mission. It is the first ethnic language newspaper. Circulation reached about three hundred until its publication ceased in 1849. January 1843 —The Baptist mission publishes a monthly newspaper, the Christian  Dhamma  Thadinsa  (the  Religious Herald ), in Moulmein. Supposedly the first Burmese-language newspaper, it continued up until the first year of the second Angl

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do

Is 160 enough? One Indian man's family

By Sumnima Udas , CNN October 31, 2011 -- Updated 0857 GMT (1657 HKT) Ziona, center, with his has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren in rural Baktwang village, India. STORY HIGHLIGHTS One man in India is the patriarch of a family of 160 in rural India Ziona, who only goes by his first name, has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren. Ziona's father, Chana, founded the Christian sect in Baktwang that promotes polygamy "I never wanted to get married but that's the path God has chosen for me" Mizoram, India (CNN) -- The world's population hits 7 billion this week, but Ziona, the patriarch of what may be the biggest family in the world, is not bothered. "I don't care about overpopulation in India ... I believe God has chosen us to be like this (have big families). Those who are born into this family don't want to leave this tradition so we just keep growing and growing," he says with a smile. Ziona, who only goes by his f