Thai anti-government "red shirt" protesters gather during a rally at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok's old quarter, April 10, 2011, to mark the one-year anniversary of a violent confrontation with the military in which 26 people were killed and more than 800 wounded.
Anti-government “red shirt” protesters hold pictures of people who died, including Reuters television cameraman Hiro Muramoto (right) and Italian freelance photographer Fabio Polenghi (second right) during a religious ceremony near the Democracy Monument.
Thousands of red-shirted, anti-government protesters gathered today in Bangkok’s old quarter to mark the one-year anniversary of violent clashes with the military in which 26 people were killed and more than 800 wounded.
“We are mourning the loss of innocent lives a year ago,” said protest leader Nattawut Saikua. “We are remembering the violence against Thai people last year. We are asking for justice.”
No one has been declared responsible for the violence that began on April 10 last year when soldiers fought with thousands of protesters near the Phan Fah bridge and Rajdumnoen Road in Bangkok, near government buildings and the regional UN headquarters.
The red-shirted supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a graft-convicted populist billionaire ousted in a 2006 coup, said they would continue to hold protests until the government took responsibility for the violence.
Five soldiers and 21 civilians were killed, including Reuters television cameraman Hiro Muramoto, a 43-year-old Japanese national, on April 10 last year.
Witnesses reported seeing flashes of gunfire from troops but the government blamed civilian deaths on shadowy, unidentified black-clad gunmen who were filmed in the area.
Fugitive former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has resigned as Phnom Penh’s economic adviser, a move that would certainly pave the way for the return of normal ties between Thailand and Cambodia.
Acting government spokesman Dr Panitan Wattanayagorn confirmed today the resignation of Thaksin, and the Thai government had been informed of the latest development.
In an immediate response, Bangkok will reinstate its ambassador to Phnom Penh Prasas Prasasvinitchai tomorrow, according to Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya. Cambodia too was expected to send back its ambassador to Bangkok soon, said Kasit.
News report from Phnom Penh cited “personal difficulties in fulfilling his role completely” as the reason for Thaksin’s resignation.
Anti-government protesters lie on the ground during a rally at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok on August 1, 2010.
On a stage in a muddy football field in Thailand’s rural heartlands, an opposition leader declared to thousands he would bring back toppled premier Thaksin Shinawatra from exile if his party is voted back into power.
That vow by Puea Thai Party’s Chalerm Ubumrung signals trouble ahead in a polarising political crisis that turned deadly on the streets of Bangkok in April and May as thousands of “red shirt” supporters of the deposed Thaksin clashed with troops.
Hundreds of red shirts have been detained under emergency rule since the unrest that killed 91 people, mostly protesters, and wounded nearly 2,000. Several opposition websites, radio stations and a TV broadcaster were shut. Red-shirt bank accounts have been frozen. Protest leaders face terrorism charges.
Emergency rule has helped to restore order in Bangkok and many areas. But in the rice-growing farmlands of Si Sa Ket bordering Cambodia and other provinces where the decree has been lifted, Thailand’s political opposition is regrouping.
Thai school children and locals wash and sweep a road during a cleanup operation after Wednesday's Thai army assult on anti-government protesters in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, May 23, 2010. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months.
Thai school children and locals wash and sweep a road during a cleanup operation after Wednesday's Thai army assault on anti-government protesters in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, May 23, 2010. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months.
Debris waits for collection at the former anti-government rally site Sunday, May 23, 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands gathered in the former anti-government held areas to begin the massive clean following the worst political violence in decades that culminated in a military crackdown that sparked a rampage by supporters. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months.
A girl gives roses to a Thai army soldier as a mark of appreciation during a clean up drive after Thai military crackdown on anti-government protesters on Wednesday in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, May 23, 2010. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months
Thai women talk to Thai army soldiers carrying roses during a clean up drive following Wednesday's military crackdown on anti-government protesters in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, May 23, 2010. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months
A girl gives roses to Thai army soldiers as a mark of appreciation during a clean up drive after Thai military crackdown on anti-government protesters on Wednesday in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, May 23, 2010. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months
A Thai person looks on as school children participate in a clean up drive Sunday, May 23, 2010 after Thai army assault on anti-government protesters on Wednesday in downtown Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades.
Thai school children clean a statue of an elephant during a cleanup operation Sunday, May 23, 2010 after Thai army crack down on anti-government protesters on Wednesday in downtown Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades.
Thailand's prime minister on Sunday extended a nighttime curfew in the capital and said he will consider early elections only after the violence that has wracked the nation for the past two months is completely over.
Elections are seen as a key step toward healing the deep divide that has split Thailand between supporters of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and the so-called Red Shirts, who are made up mainly of the urban and rural poor and see Abhisit's government as elitist and illegitimate.
Anti-government protesters are escorted by Thai police officers after they surrendered to authorities at a Buddhist temple in an area formerly held by anti-government protestors on Thursday
Firefighters sifting through the ruins of the Central World shopping centre in Bangkok found nine bodies in the basement on Friday and police discovered one other, Thai news reports said.
The centre was set ablaze in the wake of an army attack on Wednesday on anti—government protestors camped in the central Ratchaprasong commercial district.
Spring TV News quoted firefighters as saying they discovered nine bodies during an inspection of the remains of the giant shopping complex. The firefighters said they did not know the cause of death of those found and police and soldiers refused to allow reporters into the area.
Clean-up: Firefighters spray water at the huge Center One shopping mall, which was set on fire by anti-government Red Shirt protesters in Bangkok
Gutted: Firermen work long hours to try and extinguish a blaze inside the Central World shopping mall
Mangled mess: A Thai soldier inspects Siam Theatre cinema in Bangkok, burnt down by protesters
Buildings smouldered across central Bangkok early today and troops exchanged sporadic fire with pockets of die-hards a day after the army routed anti-government protesters in a push to end Thailand's deadliest political violence in nearly 20 years.
The government quelled most of the violence in the battered Thai capital after a major military operation that killed at least seven people and left 88 wounded.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva refuse to resign and the red protestors refuse to accept new election plan from PM Abhisit, causing military and police to clear the protestors.
The anti-government protesters, known as the Red Shirts, have demanded that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva resigns, dissolves parliament and calls new elections.
Drawn mostly from the rural and urban poor, the protesters are supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, pictured, deposed in a coup in 2006.
Thaksin - also formerly owner of Manchester City football team - is currently on the run after being accused of corruption.
Many of his supporters hail from the impoverished north and north-east.
They accuse the government of colluding with the royalist elite and meddling with the judiciary to bring down previous coalitions.
The Red Shirts say Abhisit's coalition government came to power through manipulation of the courts and the backing of the powerful military.
They claim it symbolises a national elite indifferent to their plight.
TIMELINE OF CRISIS
March 12 - Protesters converge on Bangkok
March 14 - Up to 150,000 protesters hold mass rally at the Phan Fah bridge in Bangkok's old quarter
March 17 - Protesters splash bottles of their own blood outside prime minister's home and office as a sign of their 'sacrifice for democracy'
March 29 - Two days of televised talks between the government and protest leaders end without agreement. Red shirts vow to continue their fight
April 3 - Protesters seize the Rachaprasong intersection in downtown Bangkok, which is packed with shopping malls and hotels
April 6 - Up to 90,000 red shirts defy government orders by holding a mobile Bangkok rally in pickup trucks and on motorcycles
April 8 - State of emergency declared in Bangkok after red shirts force their way into parliament
April 9 - Protesters lay siege to Thaicom satellite earth station in Pathum Thani, seeking to get a blocked TV channel back on air
April 10 - Troops attempt to break up protest at Phan Fah bridge, 25 people killed and more than 800 wounded in the country's worst clashes in 18 years
April 14 - Red shirts consolidate protests into one site at Rachaprasong
April 16 - Four red shirt leaders escape, one by scaling down a building wall on a cable, after police commandoes try to raid their hotel but are overwhelmed by protesters
April 22 - One woman is killed and more than 70 civilians injured when five M-79 grenades are launched near pro-government demonstrators in Bangkok's Silom Road business district
April 28 - A soldier is killed and about 20 protesters wounded when clashes erupt after security forces try to block a mobile rally on a highway in Bangkok's outskirts
May 3 - Abhisit announces a five-point reconciliation road map, culminating in a Nov 14 election
May 4 - Red shirts respond, saying they accept Abhisit's offer, but object to election date
May 7 - Gun and grenade attacks in the heavily guarded Silom area kill two police and wound 13, among them 10 police officers
May 11 - Red shirt leaders announce they agree to Abhisit's peace plan but make several demands that the government rejects
May 12 - Abhisit tells red shirts the deal is off and cancels plans for November 14 election, giving demonstrators until midnight to end their protest or face eviction by force
May 13 - The military vows to use armoured vehicles to block roads around the protest site to prevent more demonstrators from joining the rally, which climbs to almost 20,000 after leaders call for reinforcements
May 19 - The army storms the protester camp in downtown Bangkok forcing Red Shirt leaders to surrender
Darkness descends: Thick black smoke from the protesters' encampment descends through the air behind Chulalongkorn hospital. Despite protest leaders surrendering, the violence continued
Blanketed: Smoke billows from a commercial area of Bangkok where Red Shirt demonstrators had their camp
'D-Day': A soldier fires his rifle at Lumpini Park as part of this morning's operation
*Seven top leaders of the Red Shirts surrender to police
*Government imposes ten-hour curfew
*But enraged protesters refuse to give up and target a ritzy shopping mall
*Red Shirts set fire to the Stock Exchange building and TV station headquarters
Bangkok has become a raging battleground as the army stormed a fortified protest camp and toppled the Red Shirt leadership, enraging demonstrators who fired grenades and set fires that cloaked the skyline in a black haze.
Seven leaders of anti-government protest group the Red Shirts surrendered to authorities today, and the army declared itself in full control, but the violence continued.
Surreal scenes of warfare erupted soon after dawn in one of the ritziest parts of the capital - a city of ten million people - as troops armed with M-16s converged on the central business district.
The chaotic end to the Red Shirt campaign is certain to deal a heavy blow to the economy and tourism industry of Thailand.
A ten-hour curfew came into force in Bangkok and 18 other provinces at 8pm local time. The government said army operations would continue through the night in the Thai capital.
It is the first time that Bangkok has been put under curfew since 1992, when the army killed dozens of pro-democracy demonstrators seeking the ouster of a military-backed government.
Thailand took a tough stand against anti-government protesters on Sunday, rejecting demands for U.N.-supervised talks and calling on their leaders to surrender on the fourth day of deadly clashes with troops.
The government doused hopes of a compromise to end fighting that has killed at least 31 people, all civilians, and wounded 230, transforming one of Asia's most dynamic cities into a battleground and raising the risk of a broader conflict.
Political unrest: Bangkok police officers assemble outside Chulalongkorn Hospital which was stormed by anti-government protesters
Anxious: A mother waits with her child at Chulalongkorn Hospital before being evacuated to a different facility
A hospital in Bangkok next to an anti-government protest camp evacuated some of its patients on Friday after protesters forced their way into the grounds to look for soldiers they thought were there preparing an attack.
More than 200 "red shirt" protesters had barged into the grounds of Chulalongkorn University Hospital late on Thursday to look for troops.
They found none and left after roaming through the grounds, the lobby and car parks, some carrying wooden staves, for an hour. Some said they wanted to return on Friday to make sure there were no troops there but "red shirt" leaders ruled it out.
"We have told them it was an inappropriate move. We truly apologise for any inconvenience caused. Some were very concerned the hospital was harbouring troops," Weng Tojirakarn told Reuters.
Anti-"Red shirts" locals hold a rally on Silom Road of Bangkok, capital of Thailand, on April 22, 2010.
A grenade attack apparently targeting the Bangkok residence of former Thai prime minister Banharn Silpa-archa, an influential ally of the ruling coalition government, has injured 11 people.
The injured included civilians and three police officers on guard at the residence, medical service officials in Bangkok said.
Mr Banharn said attackers on a motorcycle threw a grenade but missed his residence, which was also targeted in a grenade attack in March.
In the northern city of Chiang Mai, where former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra still retains strong popular support, a grenade attack was also reported at the police headquarters building, but no-one was hurt.
Mr Banharn suggested that the attack against his home was a threat.
Anti-government protesters have demanded the Chart Thai Pattana party, headed by Mr Banharn's brother Chumpol Silpa-archa, leave the government led by prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
The red-shirts believe that the current government is illegal.The yellow-shirts say that they are defending the monarchy
Hundreds of riot police moved in front of a barricade erected by "red shirt" protesters in Bangkok's Silom business district early on Friday and told them to dismantle it, television said.
Television pictures then showed some protesters pouring what a TV reporter said was fuel onto the barricade, which is made up largely of tyres, with sharpened bamboo poles inserted.
A series of grenade blasts in that area killed at least three people late on Thursday. The government said the grenades were fired from the red shirt protest area. Leaders of the red shirts, who are demanding a new election, denied they were responsible
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Anti-government demonstrators construct makeshift barricades Wednesday, April 21, 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand, protesting about the government. According to his official spokesman, Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is ready to negotiate with protesters who are seeking a change of government, but only when the demonstrators who have illegally occupied city streets agree to abide by the country's law.
Anti-government protesters and supporters of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, look out from their makeshift barricades Wednesday, April 21, 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand, protesting about the government. According to his official spokesman, Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is ready to negotiate with protesters who are seeking a change of government, but only when the demonstrators who have illegally occupied city streets agree to abide by the country's law.
Thailand's tense political crisis spread from Bangkok to the northeast, as anti-government demonstrators blocked a train carrying military vehicles that they claimed would be used to suppress fellow protesters in the capital.
The confrontation Wednesday came as the "Red Shirt" protesters and security forces remained locked in a potentially explosive standoff in downtown Bangkok. The determined demonstrators are demanding Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva dissolve Parliament and call new elections immediately.
A failed April 10 attempt by security forces to flush protesters from their first encampment in the capital erupted into the worst political violence Thailand has seen in 18 years, with 25 people dead and more than 800 wounded.
Anti-government protesters and supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra set up the barriers by using bamboo sticks as they confront with Thai soldiers
Thai protesters said they would fortify their sprawling encampment in Bangkok's upscale hotel-and-shopping district before venturing out to 'wage a big war' to topple the government
Thai protesters are threatening today to fortify their sprawling encampment in Bangkok's upscale district before venturing out to 'wage a big war' to topple the government they decry as illegitimate.
Soldiers in full combat gear guarded other nearby sections of the capital in an increasingly tense standoff that has shuttered five-star hotels and glitzy shopping malls and threatens to damage Thailand's image as a tourist paradise.
Thousands of 'Red Shirt' anti-government protesters are threatening to topple the government on the streets of Bangkok
Thailand's military has vowed to get tough on anti-government protesters who say they will occupy a luxury hotel and shopping district "indefinitely", raising the risk of another violent confrontation.
Attitudes have hardened on both sides since troops and protesters clashed in Bangkok on April 10, killing 25 people and wounding more than 800 during a chaotic army crackdown that has intensified a five-year political crisis.
Following are scenarios about what could happen next.
Thai anti-government protesters stepped up security at their base in an upmarket Bangkok shopping center on Saturday, a week after bloody clashes with security forces killed 24 people.
A failed attempt by security forces last weekend to flush thousands of anti-government protesters from the historic district of the capital erupted into the worse political violence the country has seen in two decades. At least 24 people were killed and 800 wounded.
The red shirts have pledged to continue their protests with the aim of toppling the government
Hundreds of red-shirted protesters stormed the parliament on Wednesday
Anti-government protesters in Thailand have said they will defy the state of emergency declared by the government of Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Thai prime minister.
The so-called red shirts, who are calling on Abhisit to dissolve the government and call elections, on Thursday vowed to hold further mass rallies to step up pressure on the prime minister.
Abhisit said in a nationally televised address on Wednesday that the state of emergency would help authorities arrest leaders of the anti-government movement, which has been staging protests in the capital for more than three weeks.
