Legal Commentary

Troops Fire Into Crowds in Bangkok

By Jeralyn

There's urban warfare in Bangkok.

Soldiers fired live rounds at demonstrators who fought back with petrol bombs, rocks and crude homemade rockets in two major areas of the city as the army tried to enforce a security cordon around a sprawling protest encampment in central Bangkok.

"We will not retreat," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said in a televised statement. "We cannot allow the country to be in a condition in which people can establish an armed group to topple the government that they are not happy with."

The "Red shirt" protesters are "made up of the rural and urban poor" who support former premier Thaksin Shinawatra. The death toll is rising.

The protesters are far outnumbered by the military which is blocking food and water from reaching them. I hope this ends quickly.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on May 15, 2010 (boomark / email).