Bangkok, "red shirts" leaders dodge police capture
Bangkok (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Leaders of the "red shirts", hunted by the police, have avoided capture in a daring escape. Today, Thai security forces launched a surprise blitz in an attempt to arrest the leaders of protests in recent days branded as "terrorists" by the government and responsible for the violence on 10 April. In the coming hours the Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is due to hold a televised speech to the nation.
The leader of the "red shirts", close to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in exile and supported by the opposition party United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), were holed up in a hotel owned by Thaksin’s family. Revolt leader Arisman Pongruangrong eluded capture by climbing down a rope from the balcony of a room (see photo). Protected by hundreds of "reds", he got to a car that was waiting outside the building and was gone.
The demonstrators formed a security cordon, favouring the escape of two other anti-government leaders. Local witnesses report that the demonstrators took at least three policemen hostage. The disastrous raid now is only the latest in a series of "embarrassing" episodes plotted by the government that has been hostage of their opponents uprising for five weeks, who are demanding the dissolution of Parliament and new elections.
Panitan Wattanayagorn, government spokesman, speaks of a "unsuccessful operation ", but assured that “further operations" for the capture of the protest leaders, branded as "terrorists" by the executive. This afternoon the Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva should hold a televised speech to the nation, the first since the violence that occurred on April 10 last year, which killed 24 people and left over 800 injured.
.png)
10/05/2011
