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| Southeast Asia |
| Bangkok clashes leave 10 dead |
| 2010-05-15 |
| At least ten people have been killed in Bangkok as security forces clash with anti-government protesters in a renewed push to reclaim the city center. On Friday, Thai troops scuffled with the red-shirted protesters in an area of luxury hotels and department stores in central Bangkok. At least 125 people have been injured in the ongoing clashes, AFP reported. A foreign TV journalist is reportedly among the wounded. Opposition demonstrators earlier set a bus on fire to prevent Thai troops from moving into their heavily defended camp. The army, meanwhile, used tear gas and water cannons to scatter the protesters. The authorities have reportedly cut off water and electricity to the camp. Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwon says the military wants to clear the area to force the opposition into negotiations. The violence came after bloody overnight clashes between soldiers and the red-shirts. Tensions intensified after the government canceled an election offer put forward by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to end the dispute. A Thai general, who had been organizing the red-shirts' security, was shot in the head on Thursday as the army mounted a massive crackdown to end the protests. General,Khattiya Sawasdipol, known as Seh Daeng (Commander Red), is in a Bangkok intensive care unit with a low chance of survival, according to AFP. The army had earlier warned that it would not hesitate to use force against the protesters. At least 40 people have died since April, while more than 1,400 others are reported to have been injured. The red-shirts are mainly the supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006. He has now called on the government to pull back its troops and re-start negotiations with the opposition. |
| Posted by:Fred |