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| Southeast Asia | ||
| Curfew in Bangkok after surrender of red-shirt leaders | ||
| 2010-05-20 | ||
| Bangkok and about a third of the rest of Thailand have spent a first night under curfew after street protest leaders surrendered. Some 40 people have died since troops ringed the protesters last week, with at least six more deaths on Wednesday. At least 27 buildings were set ablaze after the red-shirt leaders' surrender and pockets of resistance remained despite pleas from leaders to go home. Fires were reported at the stock exchange, banks and a shopping mall. The main area at the heart of the commercial district is completely deserted. This morning there were women dancing and people on stage giving speeches. All those hundreds of people who were in this main part of the protest site have gone. People have set fire to buildings. There's a lot of smoke over the city, burning piles of debris. Someone just told us there were very emotional scenes when the leaders came and said, "it's all over", and told people to go home. But some hardline red-shirt protesters were holed up in an over-head railway station and they were clashing with the military. Appearing on TV, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he was "confident and determined to end the problems and return the country to peace and order once again". Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister living in self-imposed exile whom many red-shirts support, said the crackdown could spawn mass discontent and lead to guerrilla warfare. "There is a theory saying a military crackdown can spread resentment and these resentful people will become guerrillas," he told Reuters news agency by telephone.
The protest may be over but the bloodshed will not be forgotten and the bitterness and anger linger on, reports the BBC's Rachel Harvey from Bangkok. Thailand's deep divisions have been brutally exposed, our correspondent | ||
| Posted by:lotp |
| #1 Can't put the insurrection in the south to bed, so what gives them the belief that they can avoid lighting another one up north? The government that came to power by military coup to remove the elected President, no matter how corrupt [though probably no less than we can find in Chicago or Congress and elsewhere], has no intentions of surrendering power. There will be no real reforms or real elections. The issues will continue and now they've removed the cultural barrier of violence, as amply demonstrated by the earlier assassination of an opposition leader, this will simply spread. No good for anyone. However, it's history and human behavior. It's the scorpion and frog. It's in its nature. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2010-05-20 07:46 |