An anti-government demonstrator runs away from riot police after they fired tear gas at protesters blocking Parliament in Bangkok October 7, 2008. (REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom)Some protesters were badly hurt, including two men who had part of their legs blown off by exploding teargas canisters when police moved against demonstrators barricaded outside parliament in Bangkok since late on Monday.
The 5,000 protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) regrouped in front of parliament and chanted slogans through massive sound systems to try to disrupt Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's maiden policy speech.
"We will be here all day today. We will fight here," Sirichai Mai-ngam, one of the PAD's leaders, said on radio.
The protest later spread to Bangkok's police headquarters, where riot police fired volleys of teargas to disperse the crowd. The protesters responded by lobbing firecrackers at police crouched behind riot shields.
At one point, a city sewage truck drove past the building, spewing sewage on the road.
The street campaign has hurt investor confidence in Thailand and distracted policymakers at a time when they should be focused on slowing demand for exports and the fallout from the global credit crisis, analysts say.
Traders said the U.S. dollar advanced against the Thai baht, citing the unrest, and the stock market tumbled, although in both cases the credit crisis was also a major factor.
"Sentiment should be weaker after the rising political tension and with no positive factors in sight," KTB Securities senior analyst Charoen Iampathanatham said.
PROTESTS SPREADING
Outside parliament, a phalanx of riot police seven-deep faced the thousands of PAD supporters, many of them wearing masks and swimming goggles in case of another tear gas attack.
"It was absolutely necessary for police to use teargas to break up the crowd," Major General Anan Srihiran told Reuters.
"We only wanted to open up a road for the cabinet to enter parliament. We will not do anything else to the protesters for the rest of the day," he said.
The PAD has occupied the prime minister's offices at Government House since late August, forcing Somchai to run the country from Bangkok's little-used Don Muang airport.
They failed to prevent Somchai from attending the legislative session, which got under way despite the building being on standby power after protesters tore down power lines.
The PAD, a coalition of businessmen, academics and activists, accuses Somchai of being a political proxy for former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, his brother-in-law, who was removed in a 2006 military coup.
Somchai has called for national reconciliation to end Thailand's three-year political crisis, a deeply entrenched conflict between Thaksin and his supporters among the rural poor and his rivals in the royalist and military establishment.
Thaksin is in exile in England after he and his wife fled in August to avoid corruption charges. He denied any wrongdoing and accused the courts of waging a political campaign against him.
Somchai has tried to open a dialogue with the PAD since he replaced the more combative Samak Sundaravej, who stepped down last month after being found guilty of a conflict of interest.
No real talks have started and there seems little prospect of compromise with the PAD, which says it is acting to defend the monarchy.
The head of Vajira Hospital told reporters Queen Sirikit had donated 100,000 baht ($2,900) to the hospital to help treat the injured.
Copyright © 2008 Reuters
A seriously injured anti-government protester cries after an explosion blew off his lower left leg during clashes with Thai police in front of parliament in Bangkok, Thailsnd, on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008. The exact source of the explosion was not immediately known.
A seriously injured anti-government protester is attended to by medical personal after an explosion blew off his lower left leg during clashes with Thai police in front of parliament in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008. The exact source of the explosion was not immediately known.
Anti-government protesters duck in tear gas smoke in front of parliament in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008. Police fired tear gas Tuesday at several thousand demonstrators attempting to block access by lawmakers to the Parliament building in the Thai capital.
Anti-government protesters flee from tear gas smoke in front of parliament in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008. Police fired tear gas Tuesday at several thousand demonstrators attempting to block access by lawmakers to the Parliament building in the Thai capital.
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