Thai Armed Forces Vow to End Unrest as Protests Widen
BANGKOK — Soldiers armed with assault rifles fought running street battles with anti-government protesters in Bangkok on Monday as unrest spread through a wider swath of the Thai capital, and the chief of Thailand’s armed forces vowed to use “every means to end the chaos.”
Major shopping malls shut their doors, foreign governments advised their citizens in Bangkok to stay inside and the government banned the sale of gasoline in the center of the city in an effort to stop protesters from making Molotov cocktails.
As night fell, thousands of protesters concentrated around the office of the prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, and there were expectations that the army could move aggressively against them. The prime minister, in an interview with the BBC, said Monday night that the government “was in control of the situation,” but the standoff in central Bangkok seemed far from resolved.
In one clash at a major intersection, soldiers fired shots from automatic rifles and tear gas at the protesters, who answered with gasoline bombs. The gunfire appeared to be aimed above the protesters, but hospitals reported more than 70 injured, many from tear gas, and some news reports said that two protesters and two soldiers had been wounded by bullets. One protester, a 53-year-old man, was killed not far from the besieged prime minister’s office, shot by three bullets, Thai media reported.
“We will not use weapons unless it is necessary to defend ourselves,” said Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara, the supreme commander of Thailand’s armed forces. “We will not use them excessively.”
The violence came on what is normally a day of animated celebration, the Buddhist new year and water festival. Street parties and revelry continued in some Bangkok neighborhoods untouched by the strife, but the center of the city remained tense and at least a dozen streets were barricaded by protesters, many of whom were armed with clubs and slingshots. By late afternoon, security forces had cleared most major intersections.
In a televised address, the prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, sought to reassure the nation that the government was carrying out a “step-by-step process to restore order and stop the violence.”
He said that 23 government personnel, including security forces, were injured Monday, four of them with gunshot wounds. Among protesters, 47 were injured, he said.
The unrest pits security forces against protesters known as the Red Shirts who are linked to Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister ousted in a 2006 military coup. But there are fears that violence could spread if other groups become involved.
Since Sunday, the protesters have defied the government’s decree in Bangkok of a “Severe Emergency Situation,” including a ban on blocking any traffic. They vow to continue their increasingly violent demonstrations until Mr. Abhisit steps down. Mr. Abhisit’s location has remained secret since Sunday when his motorcade was attacked and an aide was dragged out of his car by protesters and reportedly beaten.
After three years of political crisis, including the 2006 coup and a weeklong closure by protesters of Bangkok’s two airports late last year, many business leaders had hoped for a period of calm under the government of Mr. Abhisit, who came to office in December. But the prospect of continued instability and the images of soldiers and military vehicles on the streets of the Thai capital over the past two days seems sure to further damage an economy already badly battered by the global economic crisis.
“This is definitely going to hurt Thailand for a long time,” said Pornthip Hiranyakij, secretary general of the Tourism Council of Thailand, an industry association. “It’s a matter of safety and security for people. What is happening on the streets of Bangkok right now is scary for many customers coming in.”
The Tourism Authority of Thailand, a government agency, sought to downplay Sunday’s emergency decree, which among other measures bans gatherings of more than five people. “The measure does not in any way apply to the organization of local and international corporate meetings, incentive events, conventions and exhibitions,” the tourism authority said.
Panitan Wattanayagorn, a government spokesman, addressed foreigners on national television Monday. “We would like again to make your stay in Thailand as safe and secure as possible,” he said, “and we believe the situation will be brought back to normal very, very soon.”
Foreign governments appeared more alarmed. The French embassy in Bangkok posted a warning on its Web site “strongly recommending French citizens to stay at home or in their hotel until the situation becomes clearer.” South Korea advised its citizens to return to their country if they had no urgent business in Thailand; the United States Embassy advised its citizens to “exercise caution anywhere in Bangkok.”
Britain said its subjects should “urgently review” travel plans to Thailand. And Japan advised its citizens to avoid wearing shirts that are red or yellow — the color favored by royal supporters.
Even among a population now inured to raucous street demonstrations, the sights of buses set on fire and soldiers marching through the city firing in the air were troubling to many Thais.
“I’ve seen this happening abroad — in Israel, Iraq and Palestine,” said Nuchanart Klaiwong, 33, a waitress who witnessed Monday’s running battles between soldiers and protesters. “I never thought it would happen with Thai people. I don’t know how it’s going to end.”
By late afternoon Monday, the protesters had concentrated themselves in the streets around the prime minister’s office, the seat of the Thai government that they have blockaded since late last month.
Dislodging them from that area may be the most difficult challenge for security forces. Until now the government had been unwilling to crack down harshly against the Red Shirts. On Saturday, for reasons under investigation, police and military units were not able to stop several hundred protesters from barging into the venue of a regional summit meeting of Asian leaders, causing the cancellation of the event and great embarrassment to the Thai government.
Mr. Thaksin, who is now abroad and facing an arrest warrant for corruption if he returns, spoke to protesters by telephone link, called for a revolution and said he was prepared to return to join them.
"Now that they have tanks on the streets, it is time for the people to come out in revolution," he said in his telephone message to supporters. "And when it is necessary, I will come back to the country."
Mr. Thaksin’s supporters, who mostly come from his base in the countryside, represent one side of a deep social and political divide that pits them against the “yellow shirts,” who demonstrated last year against a pro-Thaksin government.
The yellow shirts generally represent the country’s established power centers, including the royalists, the elite and middle class, and the military, who feel threatened by Mr. Thaksin’s attempts to change the country’s balance of power.
Political turmoil has continued since leaders of the coup returned the country to democracy last year and supporters of Mr. Thaksin supporters were voted back into office.
As demonstrations by the Thaksin foes continued, court rulings forced the dissolution of two governments. Mr. Abhisit took office four months ago in a parliamentary vote that his opponents say was undemocratic.
All sides pledge allegiance to King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 82, viewed as Thailand’s moral soul, who has been in ill health. Although the king holds no direct political power, uncertainty over the royal succession casts a shadow over Thailand’s politics.
The military took a more aggressive posture Monday, with soldiers aiming at protesters and firing blanks but firing into the air with live rounds.
One soldier interviewed in the streets around Bangkok’s Victory Monument, where several clashes occurred, appeared disheartened by his assignment.
“Fighting with the people is just too much for me,” said Sarin Sukpram, 24, who, in addition to his M-16 assault rifle, had a bulletproof vest and combat helmet. “It’s my duty to be here. I don’t want to hurt people. But my orders are to restore the peace.”