Forum Views () 
Forum Replies ()  
 
 
Read more with google mobile :
Thai protesters fortify camps in heart of 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
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Thai protesters fortify camps in heart of Bangkok
 
 
  
 
 By THANYARAT DOKSONE,Associated Press Writer -
 2 hours 19 minutes ago
 
 
Send
 
IM Story
 
Print
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BANGKOK – Tensions escalated in the standoff between anti-government demonstrators and Thai security forces as the army said Tuesday deadly force could be used against protesters besieging the heart of the capital.
 
The so-called "Red Shirt" demonstrators, meanwhile, reinforced defenses at their urban encampment _ already shrouded with netting to foil the prying eyes of potential attackers _ and prepared homemade weapons including hundreds of sharpened bamboo poles and broken up pavement stones.
 
No new clashes were reported as the Red Shirts, who have occupied Bangkok's streets for more than five weeks, abandoned plans to march into the central business district after soldiers in full combat gear were garrisoned there to bar the way.
 
The protesters consist mainly of poor rural supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and pro-democracy activists who opposed the military coup that ousted him in 2006. They want Parliament dissolved immediately and new elections called.
 
They believe Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government is illegitimate because it came to power through a parliamentary vote after disputed court rulings ousted two elected, pro-Thaksin administrations. The conflict has been characterized by some as class warfare, pitting the country's vast rural poor against an elite that has traditionally held power.
 
Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd, spokesman for the government's Center for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation, said the guidelines for suppressing violent protests were being adjusted because the authorities had found, "terrorists infiltrating the demonstrators were preparing to use weapons such as throw type bombs, sharpened sticks and sticks tied with nails, as well as acid."
 
Security forces previously were told to abide by seven-stage rules of engagement, where warnings would be followed by a slowly escalating use of force, meant to minimize casualties. They are equipped with live ammunition and authorized to use it in self-defense.
 
The authorities' actions "will be carried out considering the safety and lives of the people, and only when there is reason to do so, including for self-defense and in extreme cases," said a statement.
 
A failed April 10 attempt by security forces to flush protesters from another location erupted into the worst political violence Thailand has seen in 18 years, leaving 25 people dead and more than 800 wounded.
 
A spirited Red Shirt rally carried on past midnight. Earlier, a group of several dozen people opposed to the Red Shirts stood across the way and jeered them from behind the protection of a line of police.
 
Sa-nga Sutorn, 63, from Nong Bua Lamphu province in northeastern Thailand, stood for five hours behind a bamboo barrier. Covering his face with a mask, he held a sharpened bamboo pole in one hand.
 
"This bamboo pole is only for self-defense," he said. "If they come in, I'll fight with the pole and my other fist. I'm not afraid of the soldiers. I'm here to fight for democracy. There's no reason to be afraid."
 
Key protest leader Nattawut Saikua indicated the demonstrators were open to negotiations to end the confrontations and chaos in the city, which is taking a toll on the economy as well at residents' patience.
 
"Our group is always open to outside suggestions. Whatever group wants to propose a solution to the crisis, we're happy to hear these solutions," Nattawut said.
 
The Red Shirts have been camped out on the streets of the Thai capital since March 12, and the standoff now has shuttered 5-star hotels and glitzy shopping malls _ costing merchants tens of millions of dollars _ and threatens to damage Thailand's sunny image as a tourist paradise.
 
Abhisit said Monday he would not set a date for protesters to be forced out of their encampment, but speculation is rife that the army will soon crack down.
 
___
 
Associated Press writers Jocelyn Gecker, Grant Peck and Denis D. Gray contributed to this report.
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
Recommend
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Send
 
IM Story
 
Print
 
 
 
 
 
 
Related Articles
 
 
Indonesia must remain vigilant against terrorists AP - 1 hour 30 minutes ago
 
China declares national day of mourning for quake victims AFP - 1 hour 45 minutes ago
 
Climate treaty 'some way off': Australia AFP - 2 hours 13 minutes ago
 
Thai protesters fortify camps in heart of Bangkok AP - 2 hours 19 minutes ago
 
U.S. sceptical of report North Korea prepares atomic test Reuters - 2 hours 51 minutes ago
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
News Search
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Top Stories
 
 
 
 
Goldman Sachs' profits surge amid fraud scandal
EADS says will bid on US air tanker deal
Agnelli heir John Elkann 'proud' to become Fiat chairman
Bolivia hosts climate change event
US space shuttle Discovery safely returns to Earth
 
 
 
 More Top Stories »
 
 
 
ADVERTISEMENT
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
Most Popular
 
 
 
 
Most Viewed
 
Most Recommended
 
 
 
 
Venezuelan boxer hangs himself after murder rap
 
Volcano cloud pushes European airlines to the brink: analysts
 
Iceland eruption tapering off, spewing lava and less ash
 
Ocean census uncovers 'new world' of marine microbe life
 
Volcano fallout raises specter of airline aid
 
 
 More Most Viewed »
 
 
 
 
 
Two-million-year-old hominid sheds light on evolution
 
Taiwan's male 'Susan Boyle' a web sensation
 
EU emergency talks as volcano cloud havoc worsens
 
 
 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 Wednesday, 21 April 2010 Hole Lines Up First U.S. Summer Tour Dates  
Supreme Court: Ban On Animal Cruelty Videos Violates Freedom Of Speech  
Rapper Guru of GangStarr Dies At 43  
Space Shuttle Lands At Cape Following Rain Delay  
Ohio Serial Rapist Executed  
Ohio Murderer Scheduled For Execution  
Senators Subpoena Pentagon, Justice Department For Ft. Hood Documents  
Kylie Minogue Announces New Album "Aphrodite"  
Washington D.C. Police Search For Middle School Principals Killer  
Palin To Testify About 2008 Hacking Of Her E-Mail Account  
'Killing' of Qaeda leaders won't end Iraq attacks: analysts  
Guard economic independence, Putin warns crisis-hit Russia  
Ten nations call on Google to better defend privacy  
Leading coalition in Iraq election backs recount  
Agnelli heir John Elkann 'proud' to become Fiat chairman  
3G iPad to hit US stores on April 30: Apple  
Internet video stokes Sudan poll fraud fears  
East Sudan parties concede defeat, cry fraud
|  
EADS says will bid on US air tanker deal  
US-TECH Summary  
Supreme Court to Decide Privacy Rights of Employees Who Text on the Job  
Bolivia hosts climate change event  
Four Afghan students killed in crossfire: ministry  
North Korea readying for 3rd nuclear test: report
|  
Apple users lose some immunity to cybercrime  
Biden, Obama Keep Women The Focus For National Equal Pay Day On Tuesday  
Goldman Sachs' profits surge amid fraud scandal  
Target To Shed Visa Label, Issue Store-Branded Credit Cards  
Apple wants its iPhone back  
Leading coalition in Iraq election backs recount
|  
Fourteen Members Of Gambino Crime Family Indicted, Arrested  
Undersea telecoms cables face growing risks: report  
Hacking Of Googles Single Password System Behind Withdrawal Of Search Engine In Mainland China  
Apple engineer loses iPhone prototype  
Apple says iPad 3G available on April 30  
Female Body Found In Wooded Area Near Miami Zoo  
Palm Beach Improv Gives First Callers Free Comedy Show Tickets  
Iran arrests members of a terrorist group: report
|  
Discovery shuttle makes safe return to Earth  
Goldman Sachs Q1 Profit Nearly Doubles On Strong Trading Unit  
Boston High School Student Collapses On Track; Dies  
Rihanna Has A Reported 50 Producers Crafting Material For Her Next Album  
Climate treaty 'some way off': Australia  
Thai protesters fortify camps in heart of Bangkok  
US civil rights activist Dorothy Height dies  
South Korea arrests two of North's spies: report  
US regrets 'irregularities' in Sudan elections  
NATO troops kill 4 unarmed Afghans  
Pakistan: Islamist blames US for suicide bombing  
China declares national day of mourning for quake victims  
Apple seeks return of lost iPhone prototype
|  
Myanmar state media report on bombs at dam site  
Apple results blow past Wall Street targets
|  
Hotels in Bangkok sending tourists packing  
U.S. helps African navies with floating academy  
Yahoo profit outpaces Wall Street estimates
|  
Somali pirates seize Thai fishing vessels, 77 crew: EU force  
Afghan deputy mayor slain as he prays in mosque  
Ten countries urge privacy changes at Google
|  
Nissan to halt output due to parts shipment delay  
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary  
Cirque du Soleil to create Michael Jackson show  
Corruption fuelling terrorism in Indonesia: think tank  
Lou Reed is back with experimental music of 1970s  
US women better educated than men: Census data  
No sexiness, we're Holy City cheerleaders  
Party's over as troops descend on Bangkok red-light district  
Pakistan's pre-Islamic art on show in Paris  
IMAX to open five more 3D megascreens in Japan  
Cold weather threatens supplies of S.Korean national dish  
US authors shortlisted for top UK fiction award  
HBO film unmasks Dr. Death, Jack Kevorkian
|  
Anthony Hopkins reaches a Final Destination
|  
Lou Reed is back with experimental music of 1970s
|  
Cirque du Soleil to create Michael Jackson show
|  
Britain's Duchess of York wants American TV show
|  
Bruni-Sarkozy to appear in new Woody Allen film
|  
Rapper Guru dies from cancer at age 43
|  
European skies open but airline schedules scrambled
|  
Pulitzer winning cartoonist gets iTunes app reprieve  
Brazil awards dam tender despite environmental protests  
Poland president vote on June 20, Komorowski leads
|  
Apple net profit nearly doubles  
"Imposed" Mideast solution would stoke violence  
 profits up, sees improved search share  
Thai red shirts open to talks to avert crackdown
|  
East Sudan parties concede defeat, cry fraud  
Google tool shows government appetites for user data  
Password system was among losses in Google theft: NYT  
Day of mourning for China's earthquake victims
|  
Facebook dumps Twitter-like "Lite" version  
Policemen plead not guilty to Philippine massacre
|  
Third of U.S. teens with phones text 100 times a day  
Greek debt woes erase jobs, stoke social discontent
|  
Apple seeks return of lost iPhone prototype  
Afghanistan sees great white hope in marble sector
|  
Last Argentine dictator jailed for 25 years
|  
'Living hell' in energy-deprived Dhaka  
11 police plead not guilty in Philippine massacre  
US could be in Iran missile range by 2015: US official  
Blasts in Thai south kill policeman, wound dozens  
Shanghai's Expo trials get crowded, rocky start  
US, Mexican cardinals sued over priest sex abuse  
Thai 'Red Shirts' fortify base amid crackdown fear  
Gambino clan suspects netted in New York  
Boxing champ Pacquiao confident of poll victory  
Sri Lanka ruling party increases gains in revote  
Thai "red shirts" open to talks to avert crackdown  
2 NKorean spies arrested for assassination plot  
China mourns earthquake victims  
Google in talks to buy ITA Software: report
|  
Indian outsourcer HCL reports profit surge  
Seoul shares rise as Apple earnings lift techs  
Apple results smash Street view, outlook strong
|  
China's Huijin to issue lucrative new bonds: media  
Yahoo revenue misses as search ad sales contract
|  
Author Toibin sees novel surviving new technology
|  
China's Geely challenge: High hopes, hard reality  
High-speed train riles Russians on wrong side of tracks  
Indonesia must remain vigilant against terrorists  
PAKISTAN  
Boxing champ Pacquiao confident of political victory  
NZ tycoon in debt funded rejig of packaging empire  
Teary Kate Gosselin voted off "Dancing With Stars"  
Japan sushi dealers feel heat from Iceland volcano  
Tribeca film fest shaking up indie distribution  
Iceland turns to jokes -- and soul-searching  
"Summer" comes early in Kenny Chesney's 3D film  
Goldman Sachs profits surge amid fraud scandal  
Paul McCartney to reissue catalog on indie label  
S.Korea spotted buying dlrs to curb won -traders  
US adoptive parents seek girls, non-black children: study  
Outkast's Big Boi to release solo debut in July  
S.Korea sees bigger trade surplus in Apr  
Michael Douglas's son sentenced to 5 years
|  
Teary Kate Gosselin voted off Dancing With Stars
|  
Paul McCartney to reissue catalog on indie label
|  
Tribeca film fest shaking up indie distribution
|  
Summer comes early in Kenny Chesney's 3D film
|  
Outkast's Big Boi to release solo debut in July
|  
Top Gear to launch U.S. version in fall
|  
Green Day on Broadway insist they are still punk
|  
Pearl Jam duo joins Conan O'Brien on stage
|  
Hariri denies Syria supplied Scuds to Hezbollah  
Greece cool as heat rises over debt rescue climate  
European skies open but airline schedules scrambled
|  
Iran denounces U.S. "nuclear threats"  
Former IOC chief Juan Antonio Samaranch dead at 89  
Iran denounces U.S. nuclear threats, to hold drill
|  
Pirates seize Liberian cargo ship with 21 crew  
Boeing profit falls 15% in first quarter  
Chris Brown To Host Haiti Charity Concert  
"Glee" To Release Third Soundtrack Volume In May  
At Least 11 Workers Missing From Burning Oil Rig  
France moves towards banning Muslim veil in public
|  
Iceland turns to jokes -- and soul-searching  
Top Democrat In NY Senate Charged With Looting Charity Of Millions  
UK's third party rebuffs PM's reform overtures
|  
Coast Guard Chopper Crashes In Lake Huron; 3 Rescued  
Airlines lost '$1.7 bln' from ash chaos  
"Avatar" To Head Back To Theaters With Extended Version, Sequels  
Pope promises action on sexual abuse crisis
|  
Somali pirates seize Panama-flagged bulk carrier
|  
Cirque Du Soleil Producing Permanent Michael Jackson Vegas Show  
Former NAACP Leader Benjamin Hooks Laid To Rest  
Ousted Kyrgyz leader says still president
|  
Kate Gosselin Finally Voted Off DWTS  
14 Gambino Crime Family Members Charged  
S.Korean woman closes in on 14 peaks record  
World health leaders urge vigilance in flu fight  
2 China lawyers who defended Falun Gong face ban  
US official: Iran military strike 'off the table'  
Analysts say NKorea hinting at 3rd nuke test  
Policemen plead not guilty to Philippine massacre  
Japan says it can compromise on whale catch quota  
Thai gov't offers talks if protesters abide by law  
NZ's Yellow Pages in standstill deal -sources  
Pakistani o/n rates, stocks down; rupee firms  
Police arrest rights activist in Indian Kashmir  
Nissan to resume output after parts delay  
US corporate figures boost Asian markets  
Thai car sales soar 52.6% in March  
Taiwan c.bank says inspected loans for 2nd properties  
India says could reap $10 bln from 3G auction  
Wynn opens latest Macau hotel, plans new resort  
S.Korea March crude imports rise 8 pct yr/yr  
Indian outsourcer HCL reports profit surge  
Hard times hit Italy's Carrara marble finishers  
India water crisis laid bare by clash with cola giants  
Great white shark divers ready for WC tourists  
Man Hides Dead Roommate's Body Under Couch For 10 Years  
Doctor Gets High, Accidentally Removes Patient's Testicle, Flees Country  
Stranded Bride, Groom Say I Dos Online  
Apple Asks Gizmodo To Return Lost iPhone 4G Prototype  
UAE Issues 96-Hour Visas To Stranded Airline Passengers  
"Ground Black People" Not Part Of Recipe  
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