Related News
2 die in grenade blast as Thai crisis turns bloodier
Print Edition
An apparent grenade attack against anti-government protesters occupying an upscale shopping area of Thailand’s capital killed at least two people yesterday, the latest violence in a months-long political crisis that is growing bloodier by the day.
The attack near the Ratchaprasong intersection in the heart of Bangkok, home to major shopping malls and luxury hotels, followed another assault on anti-government protesters in eastern Thailand on Saturday night that killed a 5-year-old girl and wounded dozens of other people.
The attacks were the latest in a spate of protest-related violence roiling Thailand over the past three months, with at least 18 people killed and hundreds hurt. The protesters, who are occupying several key intersections in Bangkok, want Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to quit to make way for an appointed interim government to implement anti-corruption reforms, but she has refused.
The two people killed in yesterday’s attack were a 40-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy, the Erawan emergency medical services center said. Another 22 people were injured.
On Saturday night, a 5-year-old girl was killed and about three dozen people wounded in an attack on an anti-government rally in the eastern province of Trat.
The perpetrators have not been identified in either attack. Both sides in the ongoing political dispute have blamed the other for instigating violence.
A protest leader, Sathit Wongnongtoey, said yesterday’s explosion was caused by a grenade. Six protesters were hurt on Friday night by a grenade attack in the same area.
Explosives experts from the police and army cordoned off the immediate area of the blast to search for clues amid vendors’ overturned tables and bloodied sandals. Protesters, meanwhile, continued to rally on streets in the area that they have occupied for several weeks, while soldiers patrolled in combat gear.
While the protesters have failed repeatedly to force Yingluck out through self-declared deadlines, they have blocked her from working at her normal offices and have sent roving mobs after her, making it difficult for her and Cabinet members to make public appearances.
The protesters also have succeeded in delaying completion of early elections called by Yingluck, undermining efforts to restore political stability.
“I strongly condemn the use of violence in recent days that has caused many deaths both in Trat province and, especially, at Ratchaprasong today, which is particularly saddening and disturbing since the lives of children were lost,” the prime minister said in a statement last night.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
