[Tlc] T-protests and violence

[justinm at ucr.edu]

Forwarded from Dr. Bonnie Brereton.
Thanks,
justin

Violence brewing     
 
 


By Post Reporters

Latest Developments The Civil Court on Friday suspended its injunction to evict the People's Alliance for Democracy from Government House, but the Criminal Court again ordered the arrest of the top nine PAD leaders. On the street, the first serious violence erupted between protesters and police.

    Trains have halted and three key tourist airports in the South are closed indefinitely. For these and other stories and analysis on the crisis - Click here)

The Civil Court ruling said that carrying out its order for the People's Alliance for Democracy to vacate Government House and the streets might cause further damage.

The Criminal Court judges rejected an appeal by the nine core PAD leaders asking for their arrest warrants to be revoked.

The suspension of the injunction came after PAD's lawyer Suwat Apaipak lodged a complaint with the Civil Court claiming that police beat up the demonstrators while enforcing the injunction.

Earlier in the day, crowd-control police clashed with protesters who barricaded themselves inside the Government House compound. Police say they were trying to post an eviction order.

In its ruling, the court also said that since the Appeals Court has also accepted PAD's petition to review the injunction, the eviction order should be suspended, pending the outcome of the review.

The court on Wednesday ordered the PAD to move out of Government House and its grounds, at the request of the Secretariat of the Prime Minister.

The Criminal Court, meanwhile, threw out a request by the PAD's nine core leaders asking for their arrest warrants to be revoked.

The court said the warrants were an initial step in the process of bringing the accused in for investigation.

Suwat Apaipak, the lawyer representing the nine leaders, said he will appeal against the court's order to drop the request on Monday.

Friday morning, police moved in to take over the PAD protest site near the Makkhawan Rangsan bridge on Ratchadamnoen avenue, prompting a brief clash with the PAD protesters.

The protesters later retook the site after driving a truck into the band of police who retreated.

The clash erupted after police tried to remove barricades put up by the PAD at its protest site, leaving three injured.

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said the clash between the police and PAD supporters followed police action to comply with the court order.

"In fact, police could have finished their job [on Friday], but I told them to step back because if they went forward, there would have been a bloody clash."

Meanwhile, state enterprise workers staged work stoppages, paralysing transport services across the country. Airports in Hat Yai, Phuket and Krabi have been disrupted by PAD supporters.

In Bangkok, police initially took back the PAD protest site on Ratchadamnoen avenue, but the protesters retook the site shortly afterward.

The removal of PAD barricades began at 10am when about 1,000 city police armed with anti-riot gear moved to Ratchadamnoen avenue in front of the Royal Plaza.

The officers removed PAD's barricades, made of tyres, barbed wire and bamboo poles.

The situation grew tense when two companies comprising about 200 police with batons and shields were deployed to nearby Suan Misakawan intersection about 10.30am to ask protesters to move out from the area. A scuffle took place which left one protester injured.

Police moved forward to PAD's stage at Makkhawan Rangsan bridge, but were resisted by protesters.

On adjacent Phitsanulok road, another group of police was deployed to seal the area. However, they could not move further as PAD put up barricades at Misakawan intersection and Chamaimaruchet bridge.

At 2.30pm, thousands of PAD demonstrators, led by Pichit Chaimongkhol, passed through the police barricades on Ratchamnoen avenue and retook the site from police.

About 7pm, PAD leader Karun Saingarm led thousands of demonstrators to the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Bureau on Sri Ayutthaya road.

Mr Karun, who was on board a sixwheel truck serving as a mobile stage, ordered the protesters to force open the bureau's gate. Firecrackers were hurled at the PAD's mobile stage, causing chaos among protesters.

A source said the firecrackers were hurled by those in the protest group, not from the bureau. Glass bottles were thrown into the bureau, followed by a teargas canister, prompting police to throw it back at the protesters.

The bureau used a fire truck to block its gate and put 10 heavily-armed officers from a police task force unit on standby. PAD retreated to the Makkhawan Rangsan bridge at 7.40 pm.

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Dr. Justin McDaniel
Dept. of Religious Studies
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University of California, Riverside
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justinm at ucr.edu