Bangkok Red-Shirt Rally - Live Thursday

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THE NATION: Court issues arrest warrants against Arisman and 6 others for their Parliament raid yesterday. via MCOT

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Red Shirts announce plan to move to 10 undisclosed location Friday

BANGKOK (TNA) -- The anti-government Red Shirts have announced their plan to move to 10 undisclosed locations on Friday although the government declared a state of emergency to restore order in Bangkok.

Red Shirt leader Nuttawut Saikua said the protesters will move from Phan Fa Bridge and Ratchaprasong intersection to 10 locations in Bangkok at 9am to pressure the Prime Minister to dissolve the House.

He said the homes of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban may be among the locations the protesters will visit tomorrow.

The Red Shirts do not fear for declaring the state of emergency and will use all methods to fight for returning of the Red Shirt’s People’s Station (PTV), said Mr Nuttawut.

On Thursday, the government successfully blocked the PTV signal. The station is the primary communications channel between the Red Shirt leaders in Bangkok and its supporters in other provinces.

Jatuporn Prompan said the government will try to disperse the protesters as soldiers have been deployed to several locations. He told the demonstrators to be on alert particularly in the morning.

Tear gas protective gears will be handed out to protesters and Red Shirt guards remain vigilant at the rally site although the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) confirmed the government will not use force to disperse the crowd. (TNA)

-- TNA 2010-04-08

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Court issues arrest warrants for 7 Red Shirt leaders

BANGKOK (TNA) -- The Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for seven Red Shirt leaders including Arisman Pongruangrong in connection with storming Parliament on Wednesday.

The court said their action violated the law under the Emergency Decree for three counts -- intruding into a government office, detaining and causing others to lose freedom, and forcing others to do or not do something. Each count is punishable by up to five years in prison.

Thousands of demonstrators carried their protest to Parliament on Wednesday after learning that the Prime Minister and his cabinet were meeting there.

The red-shirted protesters led by singer-turned-activist Arisman broke through both the fence and a cordon of riot police, making their way into the Parliament compound, forcing the House session to end abruptly.

The prime minister however left the building long before the protesters arrived, while Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban and government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn and several Democrat MPs were later evacuated by helicopter.

Mr Arisman said that he only wanted to find Mr Suthep to question him about a firebomb which he said was hurled from inside the Parliament compound to protesters.

Mr Arisman added that the Red Shirts’ seizure of an M16 assault rifle and a 9mm handgun from the security detail at Parliament meant that the deployed security personnel are not unarmed as was earlier reported. (TNA)

-- TNA 2010-04-08

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THE NATION: For 1st time maybe, reds've retreated fr a rally site aftr being outnumbered by troops. that's happened @Thaicom station

THE NATION: Correction: The Thaicom station reds retreated from is in Pathumthani. Reds r regrouping at another Thaicom station in nonburi.

THE NATION: Jatuporn has exhuasted himself, reports @jin_nation. He had a break & Nattawut came up on stage crooning

THE NATION: Nattawut enterains Reds "I must thanks Govt 4 blocking PTV. Some ppl came 4 the first time coz they're frustrated.""Phuchana 10 Tid"

THE NATION: "Whatever I say, just make loud cheer &right facial expression,"Nattawut jokes. btw, his shirt with big font "Phrai" on his chest is cool.

THE NATION: PM Abhisit will be on TV Pool soon,

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THE NATION: Thaksin is in Dubai but not allowed to do any political activity from there, according to Foreign Affairs Ministry.

THE NATION: PM to go on TV in a few minutes.

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THE NATION: PM speaking now.. sitting alone (not suggesting anything)

THE NATION: PM: I spelled it out clearly yesterday that the state of emergency was meant to enable the people to return to normal life

THE NATION: PM: Our crisis is a result of problems accumulating for a long time.

THE NATION: M: That and other objectives are all important. But I have noticed that to some people, it's all about using force

THE NATION: PM: All I'm saying is whatever measure to solve emergency problems must not aggravate the root problems.

THE NATION: PM: That is never our intention. We are even considering options where force may not hae to be used at all.

THE NATION: PM: But i'm sure whoever listen to PTV will hate Govment., while the other side will hate (red shirts) even more.

THE NATION: PM: We have to a certain extent stop this kind of disinformation.

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THE NATION: PM: "We never intend to stage a war against the people. All government wants to do is bring back peace."

THE NATION: PM: PTV was claiming govt was preparing to stage war against Thai people.//he watched PTV last night after SOE declaration

THE NATION: PM: People seem a bit happier today. it's a proof that if we can stop wrong information, we can alleviate the problems.

THE NATION: PM: A few hours ago, Court has approved warrants for the arrest of protest leaders who led the raid on Parliament.

THE NATION: PM: this as well will help us achieve our goal [of bringing back peace]

THE NATION: PM: Now the suspects can be arrested wherever they are found.

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THE NATION: PM: The most interesting topic is what the people call "dispersal of rally."

THE NATION: PM: Let me tell you that government only wants to get the area back through measures as peaceful as possible.

THE NATION: PM: I'm confident that since we have manged to stop disinformation and will be able to arrest the leaders, we will be in better position to

THE NATION: PM: to persuade other protesters to end their rally.

THE NATION: PM: I would like to seek cooperation from everyone. I decided to cancel my trip to Asean summit in Vietnam today.

THE NATION: PM: We all are Thais. there 's no reason why we have to kill each other. I will pursue this principle to the best of my ability.

THE NATION: He's ended the address. The speech gave a major signal that Govt would give PR attempts one last try tonite to persuade protesters to leave

[george]

From Thai Television:

Abhisit pn TV Pool: 'Thai Police now hunt for 7 red-shirt leaders after obtained arrest warrants by Thai court".

7 leaders gone!?

More as we have it

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Thai authorities to arrest Red Shirts protesters

by Thanaporn Promyamyai

BANGKOK (AFP) -- Thai authorities moved Thursday to arrest Red Shirt protest leaders involved in the storming of parliament, while pulling the plug on dozens of websites and a television station loyal to their cause.

The steps are the first measures taken by embattled Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva under a state of emergency announced a day earlier for Bangkok to cope with mass anti-government rallies in the capital.

A court issued arrest warrants for seven Red Shirts, including Arisman Pongreungrong, who also stormed an Asian summit in Pattaya last year, forcing it to be cancelled.

"Once leaders who prefer violence are arrested, we believe we can persuade other protesters to leave the protest site," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters, referring to a rally in Bangkok's commercial hub.

Lawmakers fled and several senior government figures were airlifted to safety after the Reds forced their way into the parliamentary compound briefly on Wednesday, prompting Abhisit to declare emergency rule.

The Thai government shut down dozens of websites and a television channel loyal to Red Shirt supporters of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra who have occupied Bangkok's commercial hub, defying a state of emergency.

Thai stocks slumped more than three percent Thursday on fears of a protracted bout of political turmoil.

Abhisit cancelled his attendance at a Southeast Asian summit in Hanoi, where fellow premiers expressed concern about Thailand's deep political rift, which pits Bangkok's ruling elite against the mainly poor and rural Reds.

Leaders of the tens of thousands of supporters of Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup, have refused to halt their protests but the authorities have avoided using force to break up the rallies.

Instead, they targeted media loyal to the red-clad movement, shutting down its satellite TV channel showing rolling coverage of the demonstrations, along with 36 websites, and vowing to clamp down on pro-Red radio stations.

The government accused the Reds' TV of distorting information and inciting unrest, warning that the next step would be a ban on the use of loudspeakers at the protest site, where there was an angry response.

"The government wrongly thinks that cutting the signal will stop Reds from gathering," said protest leader Nattawut Saikuar.

Thaksin's supporters, mainly from the poor rural north, hail his policies for the masses such as cheap healthcare, but Bangkok's powerful elite sees him as corrupt, authoritarian and a threat to the revered monarchy.

But with their main tool for mobilising the rank-and-file down, the Reds face a test on Friday, when they have promised another major rally.

The army said the number of demonstrators in the commercial district had dwindled after the TV channel was pulled.

"With a small number of protesters, it will be more acceptable for the public in the case of the government enforcing harsher measures," military spokesman Sunsern Kaewkumnerd said.

The Reds say the government is illegitimate because it came to power with army backing through a parliamentary vote in December 2008 after a court decision ousted Thaksin's allies from power.

Abhisit's government has banned public gatherings of more than five people and given broad powers to police and military under emergency rule announced Wednesday in the capital and surrounding areas.

The government wants to avoid a repeat of last April's clashes with Red Shirts that left two people dead, six months after riot police took on the rival Yellow Shirts in bloody scenes outside parliament.

"We will not seek confrontation. We do not want to create conditions for instability," said government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn. "At the same time we would like to proceed further with the implementation of the law."

Under emergency rule, "now officers can destroy the cars that block intersections and they will not have to pay for it," he told reporters.

-- ©Copyright AFP 2010-04-08

Published with written approval from AFP.

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