Politics in Thailand

 

Abhisit's rise to power was controversial and opposed from the beginning. In April 2009, anti-government protesters, known as 'The Red Shirts', began its huge demonstration aiming at the resignation of the prime minister and fresh elections. The major site of the demonstration was in Bangkok. From April 8, the demonstrators spread their activities to significant location such as main intersections. The streets were also blocked and barricaded. The demonstration took place at the same time of the ASEAN summit in Pattaya. The demonstrators also moved to protest, aiming at barring the summit. Eventually a handful of protesters stormed the hotel, the site of the summit, causing the cancellation of the summit.
In Bangkok, the protest became fiercer because of the arrest of the leaders of the Pattaya protest. The protesters blocked the entrances of the Criminal Court, urging the release of their leaders. In the afternoon, the premier Abhisit, at The Ministry of Interior, declared the State of Emergency. The protesters blocked the entrance of the Ministry, aiming at 'seizing' the premier and other ministers. However the premier could escape. In the late afternoon, the government briefed the situation. The government began to deploy anti-riot troops. The armor vehicles were seen in downtown Bangkok without a clear reason. However the anti-riot action took place in the early morning of the next day. The anti-riot troops, armed with shields, batons and M-16 guns, said with paper bullets, started dispersing the protesters on the Bangkok's streets. Clashes were seen in major streets. In some areas, the rioters in red shirts also clashed with the people as the rioters attempted to storm their living area, leaving two people living in the area killed.

The protesters also claimed that some of the protesters were killed while the government denied the charge. Although two bodies of men were found, the government found no evidence that it was involved in the killings. On the major avenues and streets in the metropolitan, burning buses were seen as well as wounded people were carried to the hospitals, but the government reported no serious cases.
In the afternoon of April 14, the military controlled all main streets. The leaders of the protest decided to give up their activity. The Thai politics after the pro-Thaksin Protest has yet been the stage of the two opposing factions; Democrat Party-led government allied with their coalition partners, who also have the tacet support of the PAD, the military, and the police, against the Thaksin loyalists, the UDD. Both sides have claimed the fighting as the struggle for democracy, and the nation.

Clip vedio Disperse the mob.