Hospital in turmoil as Red Shirts hunt forces
Source: Agencies |
May 1, 2010, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A MAJOR Thai hospital evacuated patients and suspended all but emergency surgery yesterday after anti-government protesters stormed in to hunt for security forces they suspected were taking positions overlooking their barricaded enclave.
A group of the so-called Red Shirts broke into Chulalongkorn Hospital on Thursday despite pleas from its director, then withdrew after not finding soldiers or police in the sprawling compound.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, whom the protesters seek to overthrow, went on nationwide television to criticize recent Red Shirt actions that have paralyzed areas of central Bangkok.
The Red Shirts, drawn mostly from the rural and urban poor, are demanding dissolution of Parliament and new elections, saying Abhisit came to power through the connivance of Bangkok's elite bureaucrats and the military, which ousted their hero -- ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra -- in a 2006 coup.
"It's not necessary for me to condemn (the hospital break-in) since Thai society and the world community have already done that," Abhisit said, adding that the government would "not allow any movements that pose threats to the public."
Despite such warnings, the Red Shirts have defied authorities at every turn, entering the Parliament building, laying siege to a telecommunications complex, blocking roads and staging mass motorized rallies since setting up camp in the capital on March 12.
At least 27 people have died and nearly 1,000 have been injured in outbreaks of street violence. Security forces have in almost every instance been unable or unwilling to stop the Red Shirt forays, including the incursion into the hospital.
However, Weng Tojirakarn, a Red Shirt leader and medical doctor, issued a "deep apology" for the raid staged by up to 100 protesters.
He called it "inappropriate, too much, and unreasonable."
Later, protesters opened up a section of their barricade to allow vehicles access to one of the entrances to the hospital compound.
A group of the so-called Red Shirts broke into Chulalongkorn Hospital on Thursday despite pleas from its director, then withdrew after not finding soldiers or police in the sprawling compound.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, whom the protesters seek to overthrow, went on nationwide television to criticize recent Red Shirt actions that have paralyzed areas of central Bangkok.
The Red Shirts, drawn mostly from the rural and urban poor, are demanding dissolution of Parliament and new elections, saying Abhisit came to power through the connivance of Bangkok's elite bureaucrats and the military, which ousted their hero -- ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra -- in a 2006 coup.
"It's not necessary for me to condemn (the hospital break-in) since Thai society and the world community have already done that," Abhisit said, adding that the government would "not allow any movements that pose threats to the public."
Despite such warnings, the Red Shirts have defied authorities at every turn, entering the Parliament building, laying siege to a telecommunications complex, blocking roads and staging mass motorized rallies since setting up camp in the capital on March 12.
At least 27 people have died and nearly 1,000 have been injured in outbreaks of street violence. Security forces have in almost every instance been unable or unwilling to stop the Red Shirt forays, including the incursion into the hospital.
However, Weng Tojirakarn, a Red Shirt leader and medical doctor, issued a "deep apology" for the raid staged by up to 100 protesters.
He called it "inappropriate, too much, and unreasonable."
Later, protesters opened up a section of their barricade to allow vehicles access to one of the entrances to the hospital compound.
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