Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
Series of grenade blasts wound 50 in Bangkok
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
More Yahoo! Services
Account Options
New User? Sign Up
Sign In
Help
Yahoo! Search
web search
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Australia
China
India
Indonesia
Japan
Malaysia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
Series of grenade blasts wound 50 in Bangkok
Reuters - 1 hour 1 minute ago
Send
IM Story
Print
By Martin Petty
BANGKOK - A series grenade blasts shook Bangkok's business district on Thursday, wounding at least 50 people and heightening tensions during a showdown between thousands of troops and anti-government protesters.
Five explosions hit the area packed with heavily armed troops and studded with banks, office towers and hotels, seriously wounding at least four people, including two foreigners, according to witnesses, hospital officials and an army spokesman.
Hundreds of troops, many armed with M-16 assault rifles, have poured into the area since Monday to stop anti-government protesters who have formed a barricade at an intersection leading into the bustling district also known for racy go-go bars.
The blasts were caused by M-79 grenades, Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd told Reuters. The same type of grenade -- fired with a shoulder-mounted launcher -- hit troops during a bloody clash with protesters that killed 25 people on April 10.
One explosion hit outside the headquarters of Charoen Pokphand Group, Thailand's biggest agribusiness group. Another landed near the Dusit Thani Hotel.
Nearly a dozen ambulances streamed into the area. Many of the victims were wounded by shrapnel. Television footage showed blood splattered across sidewalks, office windows smashed and a chaotic scene as panicked residents carried the injured into ambulances.
The grenades were fired in an area where about 500 pro-government protesters had gathered, Sansern said.
Not far from the explosions, tens of thousands of red-shirted supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra have fortified their redoubt in a Bangkok commercial district with home-made barricades, expecting the army to evict them any time.
After the blasts, troops blocked off roads with razor wire and trained their guns in the air looking to rooftops and an overhead railway system.
The army earlier on Thursday warned it would forcibly disperse the mostly rural and urban poor red shirts who have led nearly seven weeks of protests demanding elections.
"Your days are numbered," army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said on Thursday. "If you leave now, you won't be prosecuted. But if you wait until the security forces enter, you will be prosecuted. You could also be hit by stray bullets during clashes between the security forces and heavily armed terrorists."
Red shirt leaders say another attempt to evict them would be futile. They say they will only leave Bangkok when Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announces early elections.
Some 20,000 red shirts have occupied a roughly 3 square-km area of central Bangkok, setting up a self-contained village in an upscale shopping and hotel area.
"I am not afraid," said Saisunee, 23, a waitress in Bangkok who was part of the red shirts. "There are lots of people here. I don't think the army can dismiss us," she said when asked if the army's ultimatum frightened her.
YELLOW SHIRTS TO RALLY
A pro-government "multi-coloured" group said it plans to gather 50,000 people for a rally on Friday at Government House in central Bangkok to voice their opposition to the red shirts, splitting the capital into opposing groups.
Many of Bangkok's 15 million people are getting fed up with weeks of protests that have forced hotels and malls to close, and threaten livelihoods.
Any attempt to disperse the red shirts risks heavy casualties and the prospect of clashes spilling into nearby high-end residential areas -- or with the "multi-coloureds."
The "red shirt" uprising showed the first signs of spreading beyond Bangkok to the protesters' stronghold in the northeast after they blocked a train carrying troops and military vehicles.
In the province of Khon Kaen, about 400 km from Bangkok, red shirts agreed on Thursday to let a military train proceed -- if it takes along 10 of them to make sure the train goes to its intended destination in southern Thailand and not bring reinforcements to Bangkok.
About 200 red shirt protesters rallied in front of the regional headquarters of the United Nations in Bangkok on Thursday requesting peacekeepers be deployed to provide security. Police made no move to stop them.
About 50,000 troops have been deployed in the capital and can use live ammunition if necessary for self-defence.
The crisis has decimated Thailand's important tourism industry and was the key reason the central bank left interest rates at a record low on Wednesday.
But Thailand's exports jumped 41 pct year-on-year in March, compared to 23 percent in February, indicating the protests have yet to punish the wider economy.
Recommend
Send
IM Story
Print
Related Articles
Explosions kill 1, wound dozens in Bangkok AP - 25 minutes ago
One dead, 50 injured in Bangkok blasts: officials AFP - 32 minutes ago
Blasts kill 1, wound 50 in Bangkok, officials say AP - 35 minutes ago
Afghan president to visit India to strengthen ties AP - 41 minutes ago
Pakistani troops kill 20 Taliban in Orakzai Reuters - 44 minutes ago
News Search
Top Stories
Greece hit by widening deficit, ratings downgrade
Obama makes defining pitch for finance reform
At least 45 wounded in Bangkok blasts: hospital
Airlines want compensation as Europe's skies reopen
Deficit slide plunges Greece deeper into turmoil
More Top Stories »
Most Popular
Most Viewed
Most Recommended
Apple engineer loses iPhone prototype
Iceland turns to jokes -- and soul-searching
Airlines want compensation as Europe's skies reopen
Former IOC chief Juan Antonio Samaranch dead at 89
Airlines lost '$1.7 bln' from ash chaos
More Most Viewed »
Apple engineer loses iPhone prototype
Two-million-year-old hominid sheds light on evolution
Taiwan's male 'Susan Boyle' a web sensation
Airlines want compensation as Europe's skies reopen
More Most Recommended »
Elsewhere on Yahoo!
Financial news on Yahoo! Finance
Stars and latest movies
Best travel destinations
More on Yahoo! News
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Subscribe to our news feeds
Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS
» More news feeds | What are news feeds?
Also on Yahoo
Answers
Groups
Mail
Messenger
Mobile
Travel
Finance
Movies
Sports
Games
» All Yahoo! Services
Site Highlights
Singapore
Full Coverage
Most Popular
Asia Entertainment
Photos
World Cup 2010
Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Service |
Privacy Policy |
Community |
Intellectual Property Rights Policy |
Help
Other News on Thursday, 22 April 2010 NATO ministers to meet on Afghan trainers, nuclear policy
Ukraine extends Russia naval base lease for 25 years
Turkish soldier killed, another hurt, in blast
eBay founder's online Hawaii news service launches
Former IOC chief Juan Antonio Samaranch dead at 89
Greece races to finalise aid deal by May 15
Afghanistan 'peace jirga' delayed until end of May
Greek debt costs soar at start of EU/IMF talks
|
Visa buying CyberSource for two billion dollars
Turkey in transition seeks closure on troubled past
Global recovery patchy but quicker than expected: IMF
Russia, Ukraine extend Black Sea fleet lease
Inventors float novelties at Geneva fair
American Airlines Parent, AMR, Posts $505 Million Q1 Loss
International anti-counterfeit plans published, EU reassures
50 years on, Brazil's utopian capital faces reality
|
Mo'Nique Upset About Oprah's Interview With Sexually Abusive Brother
Apple shares hit record high, slides
Police battle Bosnians protesting IMF-imposed cuts
|
McDonald's Q1 Profit Tops Estimates On Strong Global Sales
Florida Police Search For Man; Found Napping
1 Dead, 3 Survive Fishing Vessel Sinking In Gulf of Alaska
Wells Fargo Q1 Profit Dips On Credit Costs
U.S. warns Syria again on alleged Scud transfers
|
Josh Groban, Olivia Newton-John Guest Star On "Glee" Finale
Justin Bieber Holds #1 For Third Week On Billboard Albums Chart With "My World 2.0"
Patriot battery seen in Poland late May
|
Men Who Tunneled Into Medical-Marijuana Dispensary Arrested
Bomb-hit India fights to secure major sports events
|
EADS To Bid For Pentagon Tanker Contract; Seeks U.S. Partner
Missing found after Gulf of Mexico oil rig blast: report
Cargo plane crashes in the Philippines; 3 dead
6.2-magnitude earthquake strikes Samoa
Cargo plane crashes in the Philippines; 3 missing
Antonov aircraft crashes in Philippines; 3 missing
Facebook's Zuckerberg says site use increasing
|
Tibetan monks ordered out of China's quake zone
Popular ex-minister quits Japan's main opposition party
Sri Lankan president tightens grip on power
Target to carry Kindle at stores in late April
|
Indian guru arrested over sex scandal: police
IMF backs stronger Chinese currency as Asia powers ahead
AmEx to issue travelers checks in Chinese yuan
Day of mourning for China's earthquake victims
Sotheby's to auction manuscript by America's Mark Twain
Irish top Europe's binge drinking chart: EU survey
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Weller on course for 6th no.1 album in UK charts
Iceland turns to jokes -- and soul-searching
Japan says 'sayonara' to Tokyo's kabuki theatre
Russia bans texts by Scientology founder
France to ban full Islamic veil from public spaces
Police Pinch Lady Claiming Lost Purse Containing Cocaine
Florida Police Search For Man; Found Napping
Men Who Tunneled Into Medical-Marijuana Dispensary Arrested
Muslim group issues warning to South Park show
|
Green Day musical no time of your life: critics
|
Billy Joel, ex-drummer settle royalty lawsuit
|
Weller on course for 6th no.1 album in UK charts
|
Iran Guards start three-day military exercise
Deutsche Bahn buys Britain's Arriva for 1.585 bln GBP
Rogue McAfee update paralyzes PCs worldwide
Ahmadinejad plans exodus to avert Iran quake disaster
Building up Afghan capacity seen as key challenge
|
Facebook seeks to spread across Internet
NATO ministers meet on Afghan trainers, nuclear policy
Blocking single gene 'aids spinal cord injuries'
China military paper spells out nuclear arms stance
|
UN launches website to track Haiti aid use
Obama Syria outreach under fire amid Scud reports
Airlines want compensation as Europe's skies reopen
Kindle to be sold in Target stores in first for Amazon
GM has repaid all government loans: CEO
US-TECH Summary
Ahmadinejad plans exodus to avert quake disaster
|
Target to carry Kindle at stores in late April
Option of striking Iran never off the table: Pentagon
|
Fast-growing Facebook aims for more social Web
North Korea torpedoed South's navy ship: report
|
Kyrgyzstan to hold election on Oct 10
|
Bill Gates and Geithner to launch agri-fund for poor
|
Tension deepens in Bangkok, fears unrest may spread
|
New warnings for tourists in New Delhi
Microsoft charters flights for stranded workers
|
China GoMe tycoon goes on trial for graft
Building up Afghan capacity seen as key challenge
Challenge to IPCC's Bangladesh climate predictions
Snow the latest challenge in China quake recovery
11 missing after Gulf of Mexico oil rig blast
Foot-and-mouth spreads on mainland S.Korea
Anger rises against Red Shirt protests in Bangkok
US warns Syria over 'supplying' missiles to Hezbollah
Gales and snow hit China's quake zone
U.S.'s Geithner, Bill Gates to launch agri-fund for poor
Sri Lanka former army chief demands 'rule of law'
Sri Lanka's former army chief demands freedom
North Korea torpedoed South's navy ship
Moody's lowers Toyota debt rating
Privacy chiefs keep watch over Facebook
|
Japan exports recover after record fall
Brazil tops world asking Google to remove content
|
Hyundai Motor's Q1 net profit hits record high
China puts appliance tycoon on trial
Seoul shares slip; Hynix, Hyundai Motor advance
S.Korea spotted buying dlrs to stem won's rise-traders
Japan's exports rise for 4th straight month
S.Korea's Samsung Heavy wins major order
Hyundai Motor's Q! net profit hits record high
Himalayan trail takes trekkers across top of world
Hyundai Heavy 1st-quarter net profit hits record
'Cove' director defiant of base ban, harassment
"South Park" airs censored episode after threat
Commercial paradigm brings inventors down to earth
Ogre "Shrek" looms in 3D to open Tribeca festival
Tim Urban out as "Idol" raises millions for charity
Weinsteins, Burkle continue exclusive talks with Disney
'South Park' creators draw radical Muslim ire
No drug role in suicide of Marie Osmond's son: officials
South Park airs censored episode after threat
|
Ogre Shrek looms in 3D to open Tribeca festival
|
Tim Urban out as Idol raises millions for charity
|
Patti Smith rescued from penury by song royalties
|
No drug role in suicide of Marie Osmond's son: officials
|
We still don't know Jack, despite Pacino's efforts
|
Weinsteins, Burkle continue exclusive talks with Disney
|
Networks blasted for shunning plus-sized models
|
Lisa Ray -- cancer-free and ready to re-embrace India
|
New Afghan elections chief sworn in
UK Catholic Church apologises for abuse scandal
German bishop tenders resignation to pope
Armenia halts ratification of Turkey peace deal
Greece plunges deeper into debt turmoil
Study launched on health impact from mobile phones
Iran tests speed boats in major Gulf war games
|
Greek 2009 deficit surges to 13.6% of GDP: EU
Jordan confirms blast near Israeli city
Japan eyes 'mind-reading' devices, robots 'by 2020'
European flights back to normal Thursday
|
Obama says US economy doomed without finance reform
Rockets fired at Israel fall in Jordan
Sony brings streaming baseball games to PS3 console
Obama urges Wall Street to back finance reform
Rockets fired at Israel fall in Jordan: source
|
U.S. Mideast envoy launching new mission
Belgium, France, move against full Islamic veil
Nokia slashes prices, to delay new software
Bomb halts Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline flow
Goldman chief says US charges are political: report
Privacy chiefs keep watch over Facebook
France wants to apply burqa ban to tourists
|
Iran tests speed boats in "major" Gulf war games
ICC prosecutor seeks ruling against Sudan over warrants
Riding surge in support, UK's third party in spotlight
|
Two rockets fall near Israeli city of Eilat: TV
Pakistani troops kill 20 Taliban in Orakzai
|
Study launched on health impact from mobile phones
Armenia halts ratification of Turkey peace deal
|
Sony brings streaming baseball games to PS3 console
Nokia slashes prices, to delay new software
Belgian government collapses, economy at risk
|
Iran president on controversial visit to Zimbabwe
|
Thai army threatens new crackdown on protesters
Bristol Palin: Hacked e-mail meant harassing calls
Cigarette sponsor pulled from Kelly Clarkson show
Pakistan announces measures to save energy
3 Kashmiris sentenced to death for India bomb
Motorcyclist deaths drop, sour economy cited
Series of grenade blasts wound 50 in Bangkok
Sri Lanka's Fonseka says govt trying to silence him
New animal species discovered in Borneo
Defector accuses N.Korea over S.Korea ship blast
China to punish those who dumped babies at river
S.Korean warship 'hit by N.Korean torpedo'
Sony brings streaming baseball games to PS3 console
|
Hyundai Heavy 1st-quarter net profit hits record
Study launched on health impact from mobile phones
|
Pakistani stocks rise; rupee firms; o/n rates down
Pakistan's forex reserves flat at $15.05 bln
Pakistan's budget deficit to overshoot target
Nokia slashes prices, to delay new software
|
Hyundai Motor's Q1 net profit hits record high
"Shrek" series finally ends with tired 3D outing
Fresh Greek debt woes send Asian markets down
Cartoon Network reviving "Looney Tunes"
LG Display turns Q1 profit as sales, prices gain
"The Losers" an action film for ADD sufferers
Moody's lowers Toyota debt rating
Kelly Clarkson flies into smoke storm
Moody's downgrades Toyota credit rating
Don't blame sports stars for young fans boozing: study
US, China announce anti-dumping steps
Lebanon's 'Shankaboot' brings Arab drama online
Indonesian workers protest against foreign manager
Patti Smith rescued from penury by song royalties
Kelly Clarkson refuses to cancel Indonesia concert
Film fetes small steps to address climate change
|
Kelly Clarkson flies into smoke storm
|
Punk pioneer McLaren to be buried in London
|
Cartoon Network reviving Looney Tunes
|
The Losers an action film for ADD sufferers
|
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights