Tweet
One person is reported dead and dozens of people were injured in a series of explosions near a massive encampment of anti-government protesters in Bangkok today.
The army said the blasts were caused by grenades thrown in the heart of the Thai capital's business district.
The area has seen Red Shirt protesters, who are demanding Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva resign, and troops face off over the past several days.
More recently, a rival mob has rallied in the area, occasionally hurling stones and insults at the Red Shirts, creating a volatile mix.
The Red Shirts, who believe Abhisit came to power illegitimately and are pushing for him to call elections immediately, have rallied in the streets for several weeks.
Today the army warned that time was running out for the protesters to clear the streets, warning they would crack down soon.
"To take people in Bangkok hostage is not right," an army spokesman warned the Red Shirts. "Your time to leave the area is running out." The army has issued several warnings that it will move to break up the protests if they are not ended voluntarily. They are already in violation of several laws, including a state of emergency.
Prospects for a peaceful solution to the political crisis appear slim, and every night brings a new flurry of rumours of an imminent crackdown.
A failed April 10 attempt by security forces in Bangkok to flush protesters from their first encampment erupted into the worst political violence Thailand has seen in 18 years, with 25 people dead.
Witnesses said the first of four explosions today came at an elevated train station. Another appeared to be on the streets below, where the Red Shirts have erected a barrier of sharpened bamboo sticks and old tires on which their guards perch. Behind the Red Shirts' line is their redoubt, which extends for more than a mile up to another junction, where tens of thousands of supporters gather around a stage to hear nearly non-stop speeches.
Across from the Red Shirt wall wait several police trucks, dozens of police in riot gear, and a few hundred anti-Red Shirt demonstrators, who wave Thai flags and hurl abuse at their opponents.
The anti-Red Shirt group includes office employees, middle class families, academics, some low-wage workers and members of the Yellow Shirts, a group that supports the current government and who themselves rampaged through Bangkok and seized the city's airports two years ago.
While some are genuinely aggrieved by the inconveniences wrought by the protests, many seem to have primarily political objections to the Red Shirts, including claiming the movement is directed against the country's widely revered monarch...
The time for fun is over now!
The army said the blasts were caused by grenades thrown in the heart of the Thai capital's business district.
The area has seen Red Shirt protesters, who are demanding Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva resign, and troops face off over the past several days.
More recently, a rival mob has rallied in the area, occasionally hurling stones and insults at the Red Shirts, creating a volatile mix.
The Red Shirts, who believe Abhisit came to power illegitimately and are pushing for him to call elections immediately, have rallied in the streets for several weeks.
Today the army warned that time was running out for the protesters to clear the streets, warning they would crack down soon.
"To take people in Bangkok hostage is not right," an army spokesman warned the Red Shirts. "Your time to leave the area is running out." The army has issued several warnings that it will move to break up the protests if they are not ended voluntarily. They are already in violation of several laws, including a state of emergency.
Prospects for a peaceful solution to the political crisis appear slim, and every night brings a new flurry of rumours of an imminent crackdown.
A failed April 10 attempt by security forces in Bangkok to flush protesters from their first encampment erupted into the worst political violence Thailand has seen in 18 years, with 25 people dead.
Witnesses said the first of four explosions today came at an elevated train station. Another appeared to be on the streets below, where the Red Shirts have erected a barrier of sharpened bamboo sticks and old tires on which their guards perch. Behind the Red Shirts' line is their redoubt, which extends for more than a mile up to another junction, where tens of thousands of supporters gather around a stage to hear nearly non-stop speeches.
Across from the Red Shirt wall wait several police trucks, dozens of police in riot gear, and a few hundred anti-Red Shirt demonstrators, who wave Thai flags and hurl abuse at their opponents.
The anti-Red Shirt group includes office employees, middle class families, academics, some low-wage workers and members of the Yellow Shirts, a group that supports the current government and who themselves rampaged through Bangkok and seized the city's airports two years ago.
While some are genuinely aggrieved by the inconveniences wrought by the protests, many seem to have primarily political objections to the Red Shirts, including claiming the movement is directed against the country's widely revered monarch...
The time for fun is over now!
should have expected it to drop a bit while all this was going on... 
Comment