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Thais dig in for next clash
[Straits Times] A TEMPORARY calm returned to parts of Bangkok roiled by street battles on Saturday that left 21 people dead, but the government and protesters both dug in their heels yesterday.Troops were ordered back to their barracks, though it was clear that they could be called on again. There was no sign of any substantive negotiations between the government and the 'red shirts' of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD). 'We have communication with them but not negotiation yet,' the Prime Minister's spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn told foreign media at the fortified military base from where the government administers emergency measures. 'You cannot negotiate when people are...breaking the laws,' he said, referring to the UDD's protest sites - at the upscale Ratchaprasong intersection and Rajadamnoen road in old Bangkok - which have been declared illegal." Dr Panitan also said facilities at six military bases have been prepared to house red shirts when they are arrested. Posted by: Fred 2010-04-12 |
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