The hope for reconciliation between Thailand's two-week-old new government and its protesters to break the lingering political impasse has suffered a hard blow as police got tough with protesters who extended their besiege of the Government House to the Parliament.
Police fired tear gas a few times since early Tuesday morning into the crowds of protesters led by civilian anti-government coalition People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in an attempt to disperse them, while the other side returned attacks at the police with home-made weapons.
The clashes, at protest and clash scenes-- mainly around the Parliament, the Government House and the Bangkok Metropolitan Police Bureau, has caused at least two deaths and another 381 injured, according to the Erawan Emergency Center of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
The chaos had also brought down Thai Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh who on Tuesday tendered resignation letter to take responsibility for the collapse of negotiation efforts to reach reconciliation between government and protesters.
After appointed Deputy Prime Minister on Sept. 25, Chavalit, a 76-year-old veteran politician and retired general, was earlier tasked by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat with taking charge of security matters and acting as chief government negotiator with the PAD leaders, who have portrayed themselves as royalists and put the Somchai government and any other "proxies" of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra in the opposite camp.
The efforts, if any, apparently failed, after PAD-organized protesters, who were agitated at arrests of two of PAD leaders over the weekend, clashed with police in front of Parliament and Metropolitan Police Bureau in central Bangkok, when police used tear gas against them in an attempt to disperse them.
Chavalit said he had ordered the police to take decisive measures to break the blockade of protesters around the Parliamentsince Monday evening in attempt to prevent the government policy address being delivered as scheduled.
Situation worsened though he meant for the police to avoid losses on the side of the protesters, his resignation letter said, adding that the resignation took immediate effect.
The embattled premier Somchai, after a cut-short policy address, had to sneak out of the Parliament compound, and transported by helicopter to avoid the protesters. Many MPs had to been stuck inside the Parliament building for hours as protesters blocked the exits and cut off electricity inside the compound.
PAD, whose supporters have occupied the Government House since August 26, earlier agreed to talk with Chavalit as negotiator.
But after police moved to arrest two PAD leaders on Friday and then on Sunday, the PAD declared a D-day battle against the government by rallying protesters to besiege the Parliament since Monday evening in an attempt to block Premier Somchai from delivering the government policy address before senators and House Representatives.
Thailand's military leaders earlier on the day reiterated that the soldiers would not come out from their barracks to help police contain the demonstrations.
But after 6:00 p.m. (1100GMT), over 1000 soldiers from Thai Army, Navy and Air Force have been deployed early Tuesday evening to stand by at 2 km away from the Parliament compound in central Bangkok.
Rally at the Government House compound, which the PAD protesters have occupied since Aug. 26, continued. Anti-riot police were stationed around the Metropolitan Police Bureau, while protesters carried on with demonstration.
Somchai in the afternoon made a speech at the Supreme Command Headquarters after an urgent meeting with military top brass, to announce his decision to carry on his job as premier.
Somchai, a brother-in-law of ex-premier Thaksin, said the government alone could not solve the crisis, but all sides concerned should collaborate to find the way out.
PAD earlier had demanded Somchai to dissolve the House by 6:00 p.m. (1100GMT) or take tough measure, but did not define what kind of measures they were expecting.
Among the killed, the first was a middle-aged man killed in a car bomb attack in front of Chart Thai Party headquarters on Tuesday evening. Cause and motive of the explosion remained unclear.
The second victim was a 20-year-old woman, who was found dead from serious wounds in the chest after rushed to the hospital. Shewas among protesters who clashed with police in front of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police Bureau in the afternoon.
Four people had to be amputated after suffering serious wounds in the clash.
Eight police officers were reportedly injured when they clashed with protesters throughout the day. Among them the highest ranking officer was Border Patrol Police Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Maj. Police General Kosin Boonsang, who was seriously injured after beaten by PAD protesters using iron clubs during the confrontations.
Source:Xinhua
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