state of emergency in Bangkok
Prime Minister Samak has announced a state of emergency in Bangkok, following violence between pro- and anti-government protesters outside Government House, where a PAD protest has been held for the past week.
One man died early this morning, and shots were fired, when supporters of the government confronted the PAD. As a result, Samak declared a state of emergency, putting army chief Anupong in charge of security in the city. The violent clashes have now stopped, though Government House is still surrounded by PAD protesters. Anupong appears more cautious than Samak, and has so far refused to disperse demonstrators by force, recognising that military action would only inflame the situation.
It appears that the violence was instigated by the pro-government side, as they marched towards the PAD, though the PAD's subsequent decision to resist the state of emergency is also extremely provocative. The state of emergency allows the public to move around the city as usual, though it prevents gatherings of more than five people.
The sudden violence this morning came after a weekend of stalemate. Following reports that Anupong and Samak's coalition partners had privately called for him to resign, the coalition leaders held a press conference to reaffirm their support for Samak. An emergency (yet unproductive) parliamentary session was held yesterday to discuss the crisis, though it did not reach any consensus.
[A state of emergency was last declared on 19th September 2006, when Thaksin unsuccessfully attempted to prevent the military coup. The emergency declaration was swiftly cancelled by the military, replaced by a declaration of martial law the following day. Martial law was not lifted until January last year. (Thaksin is currently facing problems of his own, as he has announced the sale of Manchester City FC.)]
One man died early this morning, and shots were fired, when supporters of the government confronted the PAD. As a result, Samak declared a state of emergency, putting army chief Anupong in charge of security in the city. The violent clashes have now stopped, though Government House is still surrounded by PAD protesters. Anupong appears more cautious than Samak, and has so far refused to disperse demonstrators by force, recognising that military action would only inflame the situation.
It appears that the violence was instigated by the pro-government side, as they marched towards the PAD, though the PAD's subsequent decision to resist the state of emergency is also extremely provocative. The state of emergency allows the public to move around the city as usual, though it prevents gatherings of more than five people.
The sudden violence this morning came after a weekend of stalemate. Following reports that Anupong and Samak's coalition partners had privately called for him to resign, the coalition leaders held a press conference to reaffirm their support for Samak. An emergency (yet unproductive) parliamentary session was held yesterday to discuss the crisis, though it did not reach any consensus.
[A state of emergency was last declared on 19th September 2006, when Thaksin unsuccessfully attempted to prevent the military coup. The emergency declaration was swiftly cancelled by the military, replaced by a declaration of martial law the following day. Martial law was not lifted until January last year. (Thaksin is currently facing problems of his own, as he has announced the sale of Manchester City FC.)]
2 Comments:
are you safe ??
andy
Yes, things are fine here. The demonstrations are in the Dusit suburb, a long way from where we are and far from the city centre.
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