Thailand PM Abhisit in pledge to end Bangkok protest

Advertisement

The BBC's Chris Hogg says the army has warned of 'live fire areas' and explosions have been heard

Thailand's PM Abhisit Vejjajiva has said troops will "push forward" with an operation to end an anti-government protest in the heart of Bangkok.

He said military intervention was the only way to end the protest.

Clashes between troops and protesters killed six on Saturday, bringing the toll from three days of violence to 22.

There have been running battles around the barricaded camp where red-shirted protesters, who want the prime minister to resign, have been based since March.

In his first televised comments since the violence erupted on Thursday, Mr Abhisit said he was trying to restore normality to the city with minimal loss.

He said a minority of red-shirts opposed to dialogue were putting the stability of the country at risk.

"We will not retreat," he added.

Authorities earlier ruled out negotiations with the red-shirt faction, several thousand of whom have based themselves in a camp barricaded by piles of bamboo, concrete blocks, razor-wire and burning tyres.

Explosions and gunfire

Amid sporadic gunfire and explosions on Saturday, troops designated areas of the Thai capital as "live firing zones" in a warning to protesters.

There have been running battles around the barricaded camp

Some 170 people have been injured since the violence broke out.

Despite claims by the Thai government that the situation was under control and its soldiers had only fired in self-defence, army snipers have been accused of targeting protesters, and footage from Bangkok on Saturday showed red-shirts dragging gunshot victims to safety.

The violence escalated on Thursday after a renegade general who supports the protests was shot in the head by an unknown gunman.

Gen Khattiya Sawasdipol, better known as Seh Daeng (Commander Red), is in a critical condition and doctors believe he is unlikely to survive.

Embassy advice

Correspondents say the first live firing area, more than 1km north of the camp, was an area the army had been trying to secure for several hours, and had been designated by the government to prevent reinforcements entering the camp and getting behind military roadblocks.

RED-SHIRT PROTEST 14 Mar: Red-shirts converge on Bangkok, hold first big rally, occupy government district 16 Mar: Protesters splash their own blood at Government House 30 Mar: A round of talks with the government ends in deadlock 3 Apr: Red-shirts occupy Bangkok shopping district 7 Apr: PM Abhisit orders state of emergency 10 Apr: Troops try to clear protesters; 25 people are killed and hundreds injured 22 Apr: Grenade blasts kill one and injure 85 near protest hub; each side blames the other 28 Apr: Policeman shot in clashes in northern Bangkok 13-14 May: 16 killed in Bangkok clashes 15 May: Six killed in street battles In pictures: Bangkok violence Thai protests: Eyewitness accounts Profile: Thailand's reds and yellows

Army spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the latest security steps had halved the number of protesters in the camp.

"Previously at its peak, there were about 10,000 or at least 9,000 protesters a day but since last night when we set up checkpoints around the protest area, you can see number of protesters have dropped to 5,000," he was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

About a third of the city is now under emergency rule, but while there are pockets of fighting, life beyond the barricades seems to be going on as normal, correspondents say.

Inside the camp, red-shirt leader Kwanchai Praipana said stocks were running low because of the blockade, but added that they would last "for days".

"We'll keep on fighting until the government takes responsibility," he said.

There were reports on Saturday evening that about 2,000 anti-government protesters had gathered on a main road near the camp.

The US embassy has stepped up its travel warnings, advising its citizens to stay away from Bangkok, and is offering to evacuate family members of diplomatic staff.

The US has encouraged the two sides "to find a way to work peacefully through these differences", while UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has also urged restraint.

Journalists shot

On Friday, troops fired live rounds, tear gas and rubber bullets in clashes with the protesters, who threw petrol bombs and stones at the soldiers.

INSIDE THE RED-SHIRT CAMP Rachel Harvey, BBC News, Bangkok Within the camp, men and women, young and old, are sleeping on mats, preparing food, or listening to speeches from a specially erected stage. The rhetoric is becoming every more strident. The more radical leaders appear to have the upper hand now and are warning of further bloodshed if troops continue their operation to seal off the area. A group of young men, most dressed in black, look out nervously from behind their barricade of bamboo staves and tyres. There is a loud explosion a short distance away, and there is panic as protesters rush for cover. For now an area in the commercial centre of the Thai capital is a no-go zone.

One Canadian and one Thai journalist were shot. A government spokesman said troops had come under attack and "had no choice but to respond", adding that they were authorised to use live rounds in self-defence, for warning shots or against armed protesters.

The military said some protesters had fired guns and thrown grenades.

The protesters, who have adopted the colour red, have reinforced the barricades around their camp made of bamboo stakes, tyres and sandbags.

Many of the protesters support former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup.

They want Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections.

He had offered polls in November - but the two sides failed to agree a deal because of divisions over who should be held accountable for a deadly crackdown on protests last month.

Mr Thaksin has called on the government to withdraw troops and restart negotiations.

Thailand's worst political unrest in nearly two decades has now left at least 42 people dead and more than 1,400 wounded.