Thai demonstrators promise 'final stand'

Thousands of troops fired warning shots and tear gas at anti-government protesters rampaging across Bangkok today, forcing demonstrators to regroup for what organisers said would be a “final stand”.

For 12 hours, red-shirted protesters and the soldiers fought a series of running street battles that left at least 79 people injured in a major escalation of the country’s ongoing political turmoil.

Shops were shuttered and official celebrations for the Thai new year were cancelled. More than a dozen countries, including Britain, issued travel warnings urging citizens not to travel to Thailand and for those already in Bangkok to stay in their hotels and away from the protests.

The violence threatens to slash tourism revenue and could lead to the loss of 200,000 jobs in an industry that directly employs about two million people, said Kongkrit Hiranyakit, chairman of the Tourism Council of Thailand.

It is also likely to disturb foreign businesses considering building factories or making other investments – especially since it comes just months after a group of rival protesters occupied the capital’s airports for a week, stranding thousands of tourists and businessmen and sending the economy plunging.

As evening fell today some of the 6,000 troops deployed in Bangkok began moving toward Government House, where the protesters have been holding out since March 26. An estimated 5,000 of the demonstrators were gathered in the area.

An army spokesman said troops fired blank bullets into the crowds and live shots overhead. “It’s going to take time, and we are trying to cause as little loss as possible,” he said.

“This will be our final stand. I beg that you return here and face them together,” protest leader Jatuporn Phromphan shouted from a platform. “We will use peaceful means and stay right here to end their violence.”

The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, saying his four-month-old government came to power illegally.

Hundreds of soldiers and police assembled at the Royal Plaza, about a mile from the Government House confronting about 100 women protesters who knelt down and screamed: “Please stop, brothers.” Some hugged the soldiers.

Earlier, the protesters were stationed at a half-dozen points in Bangkok, defying government-imposed state-of-emergency measures that ban gatherings of more than five people.

Protesters commandeered public buses to block several key intersections and set tyres and vehicles on fire.

In one of several confrontations, a line of troops in full battle gear fired volleys of M-16 fire, most of it aimed above the heads of protesters and turned water cannons on the crowd near Victory Monument, a major traffic circle.

Armed forces chief General Songkitti Jaggabatara said on nationwide television that soldiers would use “every means to end the chaos” but employ weapons only for self-defense and not “excessively”.

In contrast to a complete security breakdown over the weekend, where a 16-nation Asian summit was cancelled after demonstrators stormed the venue, security forces began to take action.

“The shots fired into the crowd were blank bullets. The heads are made of paper, so it only causes sound. We use these when protesters head toward soldiers to push them back. Those fired into the air are real bullets,” said the army spokesman.

The red-shirted demonstrators are supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and want new elections and Abhisit’s removal. They accuse the country’s elite – the military, judiciary and other unelected officials – of undermining democracy by interfering in politics.

Today Thaksin accused the military of lying about firing blank bullets into the crowd, saying soldiers used live ammunition, killed protesters and dragged away their bodies. “They shot people. Many died. Many people were injured,” he said.

“I would like to urge every party that comes together to gather peacefully. War never ended with war,” said Thaksin.

Political tensions have simmered since Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in 2006 amid accusations of corruption and abuse of power. He remains popular in the impoverished countryside for his populist policies.

His opponents – many in urban areas – took to the streets last year to help bring down two governments led by his allies, seizing Bangkok’s two airports in November for about a week.

Parliament then appointed Abhisit in December after a court ordered the removal of the previous pro-Thaksin government citing fraud in the 2007 elections. Thaksin supporters took to the streets in protest, and their numbers grew to 100,000 in Bangkok last week.

Abhisit today appealed to the demonstrators to return to their homes, saying the government was using “the softest measures possible” against them.