Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej yesterday assured the public that investigations would be carried out into the cause of the violence between pro- and anti-government protesters, which left one man dead. In a televised news conference at the Royal Thai Armed Forces headquarters shortly after he declared a state of emergency, Mr Samak said the emergency enforcement committee would be responsible for the investigations.
''The matter will be looked into carefully,'' he said, without specifying the timeframe of the investigations.
Pro-government United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) and the anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) clashed around 1am yesterday on Ratchadamnoen Nok avenue.
The violence erupted shortly after midnight when the UDD led more than 2,000 members, mostly wearing red T-shirts or red headbands, to march from Sanam Luang, where the UDD held a rally yesterday to counter the PAD rally, to Makkhawan Rangsan bridge, the headquarters of the PAD.
The UDD members, mostly armed with wooden batons, some with iron bars, stones and knives, were led by young men on board 20 motorcycles, who honked their horns while leading the group along the avenue. Two six-wheel trucks followed the group.
About 500 police were divided into two teams to set up blockades along the avenue to prevent the UDD demonstrators from confronting the PAD protesters. About 12.30am, the UDD reached the first police blockade in front of Nang Loeng police station.
It took the UDD about five minutes to pass through the blockade, as police had only anti-riot shields without any batons.
The motorcycle riders who led the UDD drove straight at metal barricades set up by police. The officers tried in vain to prevent the UDD from advancing through the second blockade, near the PAD protest site.
Upon learning the UDD had marched to the PAD's protest site at the bridge, PAD core member Somsak Kosaisuk immediately ordered demonstrators to rush to the Makkhawan Rangsan site from Government House.
Mr Somsak and thousands of PAD demonstrators have encamped at Government House since last Tuesday.
The PAD demonstrators, mostly young men armed with knives, wooden clubs, golf clubs and iron bars, reinforced PAD guards, numbering about 1,000, at the bridge to protect their protest site.
The UDD managed to break through the last police barricade in front of the army headquarters. Upon seeing their rivals, the UDD members ran towards their opponents, who managed to break through a police barricade.
The two sides clashed and gunfire was heard.
After the 30-minute clash, the UDD, which was outnumbered by the PAD, suffered casualties. A total of 43 people were hurt and one was pronounced dead on arrival in hospital from injuries to his head and face. Three of the wounded had been shot, according to the Narenthorn Emergency Response Centre.
The dead man was identified as UDD member Narongsak Krobthaisong, 55.
Police found a number of spent 9mm bullets left at the clash scene.
National police chief Pol Gen Patcharawat Wongsuwan and his deputy and acting city police chief Pol Gen Jongrak Juthanont yesterday inspected the scene.
About 400 soldiers from the 1st Infantry Regiment armed with shields and batons were deployed to the site. The troops stood in the middle of the two conflicting groups.
Nearly 600 schools in Bangkok were temporarily closed following the clash. The Office of the Basic Education Commission ordered state-run schools in Bangkok to be closed for one or two days, depending on their location.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/030908_News/03Sep2008_news06.php
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