"Order has been restored", claims Thai Prime Minister

Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Prime Minister of Thailand, has said that order has been restored to the nation, despite the fact a large military presence remains around central Bangkok. 


“We recognize that as we move ahead there are huge challenges ahead of us, particularly the challenge of overcoming the divisions that have occurred in this country,” Mr. Abhisit said in a televised speech, adding that he would initiate “an independent investigation of all the events that have taken place during the protest.”


Read a New York Times article here.

Read More

Thailand's protest leaders surrender

The leaders of antigovernment protest in Thailand have surrendered, after an aggressive raid of the protester's compound in central Bangkok.

Thai government vehicles used force to penetrate barricades and government soldiers stormed into the protest zone on Wednesday morning in a definitive move against demonstrators who have occupied the capital's central retail district, the New York Times has reported.

Jatuporn Prompan, one of the leaders, declared that the rally was over. "We cannot resist against these savages anymore," he said.

Shortly before the surrender, heavy gunfire was continuing in the area, and new roadblocks were being erected to prevent further movement of the protesters.

The Thai Government had rejected pleas from demonstrators for peace talks, and an aid to the Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had said that "the only way to end this situation is to end the rally".

Read More

Thai leader defends crackdown on protest

On Saturday, the Thai leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva, defended his government's crackdown on protests in the wake of rising death tolls as a result of the conflict.

The Washington Post reported:

"I insist that what we are doing is necessary," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said in remarks broadcast on national television. "We cannot retreat, because we are doing things that will benefit the entire country."
On Saturday, the protesters, known as "red shirts," directed a steady stream of rudimentary missiles at troops, who fired back in several areas around a key commercial district of Bangkok.
Army snipers with high-powered rifles were perched atop tall buildings. Below, thick black smoke billowed from tires set ablaze by demonstrators as gunfire rang out.

(Read the full article here)

Read More