More bombings and gunfire rock Bangkok's anti-government protests

[webfact]

More bombings and gunfire rock anti-government protests



BANGKOK: -- More bombings and gunfire rocked the protest sites of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC)last night inuring two security guards. A hand grenade was also thrown at the house of the Bangkok governor but caused no injury

Attacks were reported at the protest sites at Chaeng Wattana road, Lumphini park, Lard Prao intersection, and Wang Suan Pakkad Palace .

The protest site at Lard Prao where the PDRC was holding protest rally happened at about 1.45 a.m. today. It was the second attack within the past 24 hours

PDRC security guards said 2-3 explosions were heard and a black Honda Accord sedan was seen to break open a security checkpoint of the PDRC guards and made a U-turn beneath the Lard Prao flyover in front of the Thai Military Bank Head office and sped off. Gunshots were also fired.

Two guards were injured.

The explosion and gunshot sounds forced activities on the stage of the PDRC to halt temporarily.

Meanwhile at Lumphini park, explosion was heard near the Rama VI Moument close to the protest stage of the PDRC. The explosion damaged tress at the area. Nobody was injured.

At the protest site on Chaeng Wattana road, motorcycle gangs were seen running near the place and explosion and gunshots were heard. Nobody was injured.

Elsewhere at the protest site of the Network of Students and People for the Reform of Thailand at Makkawan bridge, ping pong bomb and firecracker explosions were heard throughout the night close to the place where security guards were deployed. There was no injury and damage.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/bombings-gunfire-rock-anti-government-protests/


-- Thai PBS 2014-01-17

[Bluespunk]

First the threats. Now the violence. Exercising your right to protest peacefully is a democratic right. It also appears to be a dangerous thing to do these days.

[Spartakos]

Sure it's protesters bombing and shooting themselfs, I mean who else could it possibly be.

[Nowhereman60]

I still think it's Bangkok citizens and youth gangs doing most of this. The citizens are fed up with the protest and the youth gangs have nothing better to do. Very little proven it is Red Shirts, but it may be Bangkok citizens who lean towards the Reds. Another group would be rogue military or police.

[nong38]

The democratic world moves in strange ways, esp here where there are so many hidden agendas.

[Fryslan boppe]

Sure it's protesters bombing and shooting themselfs, I mean who else could it possibly be.

You took the words right out of my mouth, as the saying goes....One only needs to ask the question, "Who does this mayhem serve?"...It strongly and singularly serves the interests of the coup-mongers, in whatever incarnation...be it out on the street, or in the support, encouragement and incitement they receive from behind themselves...They need violence of this nature, And they need it now...They have a limited time-frame within which to escalate things......If the election of Feb. 2nd. is delayed, cancelled or fiddled with in any form, than all bets are off....Than the above point-of-view would be invalid, as then 'mayhem' will emanate from the other side of the political divide....As long as the coup-mongers spin-their anti-democratic wheels, those who support the Feb. 2nd. election, and defend the millions who chose this Govt. will essentially watch from the sidelines pending the exercise of their electoral rights on Feb. 2nd....After that the focus of the coup-mongers will change...Then they need to ensure that the election does not bring back any sense of political normality. It is imperative for them to create a situation of ungovernability......Being unelectable is not fun.

[noitom]

Rogue gangs waiting to begin looting.

[Spartakos]

Sure it's protesters bombing and shooting themselfs, I mean who else could it possibly be.

You took the words right out of my mouth, as the saying goes....One only needs to ask the question, "Who does this mayhem serve?"...It strongly and singularly serves the interests of the coup-mongers, in whatever incarnation...be it out on the street, or in the support, encouragement and incitement they receive from behind themselves...They need violence of this nature, And they need it now...They have a limited time-frame within which to escalate things......If the election of Feb. 2nd. is delayed, cancelled or fiddled with in any form, than all bets are off....Than the above point-of-view would be invalid, as then 'mayhem' will emanate from the other side of the political divide....As long as the coup-mongers spin-their anti-democratic wheels, those who support the Feb. 2nd. election, and defend the millions who chose this Govt. will essentially watch from the sidelines pending the exercise of their electoral rights on Feb. 2nd....After that the focus of the coup-mongers will change...Then they need to ensure that the election does not bring back any sense of political normality. It is imperative for them to create a situation of ungovernability......Being unelectable is not fun.

Who would want such a terrible future for this country, who needs those pesky reforms? Surely only the paid-fascist people on the streets. I pity the ungreatful fools that can't appreciate all the political normality and economical prosperity that you kindly mentioned above.

[Hawk]

Exercising your right to protest peacefully is a democratic right. It also appears to be a dangerous thing to do these days.

I agree that protesting peacefully is fine in the right place BUT blocking roads, bridges, causing economic hardship and major inconvience to others etc is not! Protest in a field some place and not in the centre of Bangkok as one gets tired of selfish ass*oles pushing their own agenda without the slightest thought for others!

[kurtgruen]

If the military really wanted power, they could have easily hung on to it, the last time, after the coup. I do not believe, that the military has anything to do with this. Neither does Suthep, because if it was ever found out, that he had anything to do with it, it would completely discredit his movement and it would be all over. He would not be that stupid. Besides, he has led peaceful protests, when he could have resorted to violence a long time ago, to overthrow the Country, but it is not his aim to do it violently.

So that leaves, the Red Shirts, the former Government (Caretaker Government), the Police and the Mafia.

Red Shirts, under the guidance of Thaksin, is a possibility, because the protests are gaining momentum and anything his sister has tried to do, to stall the protests, has failed so far. Maybe he figures, by causing some violence (in a limited way), it will deter some supporters from attending the rallies, while not causing enough violence to trigger a coup.

The police, because they tend to loose a lot, if Suthep or his new reform committee take power. They have their hands in all kinds of things, as previously mentioned by anonymous posters. Posting under my real name, I choose not to describe them here, but a lot of you, who have lived in Thailand, for a long time, know anyways.

The Mafia, for the same reason as the police.

[Thailand]

Can't see any reason for red factions to be involved in this, would not be to their advantage.

Suthep and gang are running out of steam, Bangkok residents must be highly pissed off by now, the violence could be from any disgruntled faction and there seems to be enough of them!

[Thait Spot]

I still think it's Bangkok citizens and youth gangs doing most of this. The citizens are fed up with the protest and the youth gangs have nothing better to do. Very little proven it is Red Shirts, but it may be Bangkok citizens who lean towards the Reds. Another group would be rogue military or police.

" Bangkok citizens and youth gangs"

Ummmm. Do you see military grenades and guns at your local 7/11?

I thought not

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Nowhereman60]

I still think it's Bangkok citizens and youth gangs doing most of this. The citizens are fed up with the protest and the youth gangs have nothing better to do. Very little proven it is Red Shirts, but it may be Bangkok citizens who lean towards the Reds. Another group would be rogue military or police.

" Bangkok citizens and youth gangs"

Ummmm. Do you see military grenades and guns at your local 7/11?

I thought not

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

So your answering for me now? It's stupid to think that these items can not be gotten on the streets. Next time answer for yourself not for me.

[kurtgruen]

Exercising your right to protest peacefully is a democratic right. It also appears to be a dangerous thing to do these days.

I agree that protesting peacefully is fine in the right place BUT blocking roads, bridges, causing economic hardship and major inconvience to others etc is not! Protest in a field some place and not in the centre of Bangkok as one gets tired of selfish ass*oles pushing their own agenda without the slightest thought for others!

So protesting in a place, where the protests have absolutely no effect at all, is fine, so everybody can stay in their nice little bubble, pretend there is nothing wrong, drink their beers and enjoy their katoys and girls and go on with their happy life? Well I'm sorry, I tend to disagree. The purpose of most protests, is to initiate change. In order to get change, you have to get in the Government's face. In this case, in Thaksin's face. Have demonstrations in front of businesses he owns, to reduce his income, shut down Government services, ask friendly Unions to stage a General Strike, to bring this Caretaker Government to it's knees. Keep exposing wrongdoings, that hurt the people of Thailand, e.g. The rice scam and before the borrowing money against land scam.

Personally, I would love to see the Longshoremen come on board and shut down the ports. The railway workers to go on strike, to shut down container traffic on trains and truckers to block highways. It's peaceful and very effective. It would bring this situation to a head really quick.

I don't mind to be put out a little bit and to have to put some things on hold, in my personal life, including travel, it it means, the Country will benefit in the long run.

[Gone]

Maybe it is that Farang red shirt that was on video throwing a stick at the ground. He was not playing with a full deck.

[Hawk]

Exercising your right to protest peacefully is a democratic right. It also appears to be a dangerous thing to do these days.

I agree that protesting peacefully is fine in the right place BUT blocking roads, bridges, causing economic hardship and major inconvience to others etc is not! Protest in a field some place and not in the centre of Bangkok as one gets tired of selfish ass*oles pushing their own agenda without the slightest thought for others!

So protesting in a place, where the protests have absolutely no effect at all, is fine, so everybody can stay in their nice little bubble, pretend there is nothing wrong, drink their beers and enjoy their katoys and girls and go on with their happy life? Well I'm sorry, I tend to disagree. The purpose of most protests, is to initiate change. In order to get change, you have to get in the Government's face. In this case, in Thaksin's face. Have demonstrations in front of businesses he owns, to reduce his income, shut down Government services, ask friendly Unions to stage a General Strike, to bring this Caretaker Government to it's knees. Keep exposing wrongdoings, that hurt the people of Thailand, e.g. The rice scam and before the borrowing money against land scam.

Personally, I would love to see the Longshoremen come on board and shut down the ports. The railway workers to go on strike, to shut down container traffic on trains and truckers to block highways. It's peaceful and very effective. It would bring this situation to a head really quick.

I don't mind to be put out a little bit and to have to put some things on hold, in my personal life, including travel, it it means, the Country will benefit in the long run.

I see absolutely no benefit coming out of this protest at all. And so how will the country benefit with the likes of Suthep running the show? How will the country benefit with no elections being held? How about all that rice stuck in warehouses rotting because the EC will not allow it to be sold? Farmers unable to get paid, and the list goes on and on. All this inconvenience is achieving nothing except enlarging an already huge problem. Suthep is looking out only for himself, not the people nor the country.

A million protests will never solve Thailand's problems!

Edited January 17, 2014 by Hawk

[pedro01]

I still think it's Bangkok citizens and youth gangs doing most of this. The citizens are fed up with the protest and the youth gangs have nothing better to do. Very little proven it is Red Shirts, but it may be Bangkok citizens who lean towards the Reds. Another group would be rogue military or police.

With M26 grenades?

[rijb]

If the military really wanted power, they could have easily hung on to it, the last time, after the coup. I do not believe, that the military has anything to do with this. Neither does Suthep, because if it was ever found out, that he had anything to do with it, it would completely discredit his movement and it would be all over. He would not be that stupid. Besides, he has led peaceful protests, when he could have resorted to violence a long time ago, to overthrow the Country, but it is not his aim to do it violently.

So that leaves, the Red Shirts, the former Government (Caretaker Government), the Police and the Mafia.

Red Shirts, under the guidance of Thaksin, is a possibility, because the protests are gaining momentum and anything his sister has tried to do, to stall the protests, has failed so far. Maybe he figures, by causing some violence (in a limited way), it will deter some supporters from attending the rallies, while not causing enough violence to trigger a coup.

The police, because they tend to loose a lot, if Suthep or his new reform committee take power. They have their hands in all kinds of things, as previously mentioned by anonymous posters. Posting under my real name, I choose not to describe them here, but a lot of you, who have lived in Thailand, for a long time, know anyways.

The Mafia, for the same reason as the police. alt=wai2.gif pagespeed_url_hash=1722055545>

Your scenarios assume the violent events are initiated by a hierarchical structure, with command and control.

You might want to add independent crazies to your list of suspects.

[hughben]

I still think it's Bangkok citizens and youth gangs doing most of this. The citizens are fed up with the protest and the youth gangs have nothing better to do. Very little proven it is Red Shirts, but it may be Bangkok citizens who lean towards the Reds. Another group would be rogue military or police.

Youth gangs have access to grenades or know how to make small bombs? I thought they'd be more interested in yaba, gambling and getting pissed up all night at their bar girl girlfriends' (or dip shit foreign sponsors') expense.

[Smokemachine]

If the military really wanted power, they could have easily hung on to it, the last time, after the coup. I do not believe, that the military has anything to do with this. Neither does Suthep, because if it was ever found out, that he had anything to do with it, it would completely discredit his movement and it would be all over. He would not be that stupid. Besides, he has led peaceful protests, when he could have resorted to violence a long time ago, to overthrow the Country, but it is not his aim to do it violently.

So that leaves, the Red Shirts, the former Government (Caretaker Government), the Police and the Mafia.

Red Shirts, under the guidance of Thaksin, is a possibility, because the protests are gaining momentum and anything his sister has tried to do, to stall the protests, has failed so far. Maybe he figures, by causing some violence (in a limited way), it will deter some supporters from attending the rallies, while not causing enough violence to trigger a coup.

The police, because they tend to loose a lot, if Suthep or his new reform committee take power. They have their hands in all kinds of things, as previously mentioned by anonymous posters. Posting under my real name, I choose not to describe them here, but a lot of you, who have lived in Thailand, for a long time, know anyways.

The Mafia, for the same reason as the police.

Yup.. but some TV Op can even suggest the culprit are the Bangkok citizens.

"Ser Jok Mak mak"

[Cricketnut]

First the threats. Now the violence. Exercising your right to protest peacefully is a democratic right. It also appears to be a dangerous thing to do these days.

And yes can just see the yellow blaming the red when all Suthep seems to want to do is kidnap and plunder... Yes it must be the reds as it couldn't possibly be the yellows. Nothing is black and white in today's world.....

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE 8.2 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[diceq]

More rogue navy SEALS out on patrol.

Edited January 17, 2014 by diceq

[bkkgriz]

I still think it's Bangkok citizens and youth gangs doing most of this. The citizens are fed up with the protest and the youth gangs have nothing better to do. Very little proven it is Red Shirts, but it may be Bangkok citizens who lean towards the Reds. Another group would be rogue military or police.

Youth gangs have access to grenades or know how to make small bombs? I thought they'd be more interested in yaba, gambling and getting pissed up all night at their bar girl girlfriends' (or dip shit foreign sponsors') expense.

Of course they know how to make small bombs. What do you think they learn at their technical schools? Those kids are weapons making experts.

[granuaile]

Reports from Thai PBS said protesters at Chaeng Wattana were attacked just after noon by about 200 "red shirts" with guns and bombs...

[Bluespunk]

First the threats. Now the violence. Exercising your right to protest peacefully is a democratic right. It also appears to be a dangerous thing to do these days.

And yes can just see the yellow blaming the red when all Suthep seems to want to do is kidnap and plunder... Yes it must be the reds as it couldn't possibly be the yellows. Nothing is black and white in today's world.....

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE 8.2 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I'm no fan of PAD did this to themselves, well that's just blind indifference to the truth and reality.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Bluespunk

[Nowhereman60]

The Reds are coming, the Reds are coming.

[Scamper]

What we now have is a nighttime campaign to instill terror in the protest movement. During the day, thousands of smiling, cheering men and women walk the streets of Bangkok. At night, these men and women are the helpless focus of armed attacks, including grenades. The campaign to crush the right of the Thai people to free and peaceful expression is now happening in an ongoing nighttime terror campaign. The administration does not have clean hands, and everyone knows it. There have been just too many of these incidents piling up. We've had policemen identified as the men in black by none other than the chief of police. We have had " detectives " going to Lumpini park " collecting evidence ". We have had Navy Seals trying to infiltrate the protest sites - the most worrying of all of these events. No one has the slightest interest in connecting the dots - least of all the administration, who have the dirtiest hands of all, and have now lost all credibility. And in response to their apathy, are the vigilante motorcycle gangs who know the police haven't the slightest vested interest in stopping them - free to roam the streets on a terror campaign of their own. And then there are the ones who are not part of the protest movement, though have voiced sympathy for it - the former prime minister and the Governor and Bangkok - both of whom - unsurprisingly- are Democrats. For those that remember Watergate, there were all these underground stealth campaigns aimed to discredit, frame, and intimidate. Yet amidst all the confusion - regardless as to whether anyone was able to connect all the dots - everyone knew what it added up to. And they know what it adds up to here as well.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Scamper

[rijb]

The TV news reported the Navy Seals were hired by Suthep & Co..

[granuaile]

Watching Blue Sky, it looks like red shirts are escalating the situation, attacking peaceful protesters marching...

[Nowhereman60]

Good idea to attack during the day time. This will give the weekend warriors of Bangkok time to think about going out this weekend. Thinking they don't attack during the daylight.