BANGKOK: Thousands of Thai anti-government protesters flouted a state of emergency in Bangkok yesterday, rallying against embattled Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva after he ordered tanks onto the streets.
Demonstrators attacked Abhisit’s car, captured armored vehicles and roamed the streets of the capital — a day after forcing the cancellation of a summit of Asian leaders in a major humiliation for the government.
The red-shirted supporters of fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra massed outside Abhisit’s offices as night fell despite the premier’s threats to use force to restore order.
Outside the Interior Ministry, a furious mob earlier attacked Abhisit’s car with poles, a ladder and even flowerpots as it slowly made its escape. The prime minister’s secretary and his driver were also attacked and badly injured. Police in riot gear nearby did nothing.
“You don’t have to be frightened of this state of emergency. I was the one who drafted the law,” Thaksin said in one of two telephone speeches to around 15,000 red-shirted loyalists.
“Now that they have tanks on the streets, it is time for the people to come out in revolution. And when it is necessary, I will come back to the country,” added Thaksin, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and is living in exile to avoid a jail term for corruption.
The latest escalation in Thailand’s chronic turmoil came after police arrested the leader of the activists who forced the cancellation of yesterday’s summit in Pattaya.
Troops fanned out across the city to curb the most serious civil unrest of Abhisit’s four-month rule, while armored vehicles stood guard outside key government installations.
Protesters waving red flags stood atop one armored car as it sped along a highway with a soldier at the wheel, amid reports the demonstrators had captured several of the vehicles.
Abhisit’s deputy Suthep Thaugsuban appeared on national television to appeal to soldiers and police to enforce the emergency measures, amid signs they were reluctant to intervene.
The army has generally shied away from confronting protesters since action against riots in 1992 left dozens dead, and police moves against anti-Thaksin demonstrators last October killed two.
At least 10 intersections were taken over by the protesters, who used buses to barricade several major roads, spawning massive traffic jams. Police Gen. Vichai Sangparpai said up to 30,000 demonstrators were scattered around the city. Police vans at some intersections were abandoned and looted.
The emergency decree bans gatherings of more than five people, forbids news reports considered threatening to public order and allows the government to call up military troops to quell unrest.
