Thai protestors parade coffins after clashes

Red-shirted protesters paraded coffins through Thailand’s capital today in a renewed attempt to pressure the government to step down after street fighting left 21 people dead, pushing the South-east Asian nation closer to political anarchy.

Neither side appeared willing to end a political stalemate which exploded on Saturday when protesters and security forces clashed on the streets of Bangkok for several hours, resulting in the worst bloodshed seen in Thailand in almost two decades. Both sides claim to be fighting to preserve democracy.

“Red Shirts will never negotiate with murderers,” protest leader Jatuporn Prompan announced from a makeshift stage. “Although the road is rough and full of obstacles, it’s our duty to honour the dead by bringing democracy to this country.”

The anti-government protesters are made up of mostly poor and rural supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who have massed in the city dressed in red shirts over the past month.

On the other side is the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, whom the red shirts see as a symbol of the ruling elite they say orchestrated the 2006 military coup which removed Mr Thaksin from power amid corruption allegations.

The Thai stock market plunged 4% when it opened for business today amid fears of more unrest as tens of thousands of demonstrators came out in a massive motorcade.

Like a gigantic red snake, the line of pick-up trucks, motorcycles and other vehicles wound its way through the main roads of Bangkok. They carried 11 coffins with bodies of those killed in Saturday’s violence, said Weng Tojirakarn, a protest leader.

Four soldiers and 17 civilians were killed, including a Thomson Reuters news agency cameraman, according to Reuters and the government’s Erawan emergency centre. The government was conducting post-mortem examinations on nine bodies today.

Both sides accuse each other of firing battlefield weapons during the confrontation.

“These are the heroes of democracy,” a protest leader shouted from a loudspeaker mounted on top of a truck today.

“We want to see shame on Abhisit’s face. We want him to take responsibility for this slaughter of innocents,” said a woman who identified herself only as Thip.

The procession started at Phan Fa Bridge, located in the historic section of Bangkok and one of the two bases of the protesters. It drove through the modern commercial heart of the city along Phetburi Road, Rama IV Road and past the vegetable and meat market of Klong Toey.

The disruptive protests began a month ago, taking the protesters’ demands – for Mr Abhisit to dissolve Parliament and call new elections – to a new level.

Unconfirmed reports in local newspapers said political parties in the coalition government were pressuring Mr Abhisit to compromise with the “Red Shirt” protesters by dissolving Parliament in the next six months instead of by the end of the year, as he had earlier proposed.

The protesters see the Oxford-educated Mr Abhisit as a symbol of an elite impervious to the plight of Thailand’s poor and claim he took office illegitimately in December 2008 after the military pressured Parliament to vote for him.

“The government should be more flexible in their attempt to resolve the situation. It’s their duty to seek for solution that’s possible and acceptable for both sides,” said Nogsuan Sawasdee, a political scientist at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.

He predicted more violence in the next two weeks since “the standpoint of both sides is clear – that negotiation and compromise will not happen.”

Other observers saw political manoeuvring rather than street fighting on the horizon.

“Abhisit standing down would be a plus. He is discredited now, so he must decide how he can do something that is seen as in the national interest. An election is urgent,” said Kevin Hewison, who heads the Asian Studies Department at the University of North Carolina.

Some of the heaviest fighting occurred near the backpacker mecca of Khao San Road, where protesters came in throngs yesterday to pose for pictures on top of seized army vehicles. Others strolled around in confiscated army riot gear.

Apichart Sankary, an executive with the Federation of Thai Tourism Associations, said that, if street protests continue, the number of foreign visitors could drop to 14.5 million this year, against an earlier projection of 15.5 million.

The “Skytrain” commuter train service which was shut on Saturday reopened today.