Thai protesters rally as bomb raises fears of more violence
Agence France-Presse | 10/30/2008 5:02 PM
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BANGKOK - Thousands of Thai anti-government protesters rallied in Bangkok on Thursday, hours after a bomb injured ten people and heightened fears that political tensions were again spiraling towards violence.
Ten volunteer security guards for the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) were hurt when a hand grenade was tossed at one of their protest camps in front of the regional UN headquarters in Bangkok.
A grenade was also thrown at a judge's house and a man was found shot dead near the site where PAD supporters have been holding rallies since late May in an effort to bring down the government.
They claim the People Power Party, which was elected in December last year, is running the country on behalf of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whom they accuse of corruption and nepotism.
Crowds of PAD supporters later descended on the British embassy to demand Britain extradites Thaksin, who was this month sentenced to two years in jail.
Captain Pompetch Chotklang of Bangkok's police said two PAD supporters were in a critical condition after the pre-dawn attack near the UN office, which was carried out by two unidentified people on a motorcycle.
"Six people were hospitalized and four who sustained minor injuries received medical treatment by the PAD," Pompetch told AFP.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat told reporters that he had instructed police to swiftly arrest the bombers.
"I have asked police to find the attackers so please wait for the results of the investigation," he said.
The PAD immediately blamed government supporters for the blast, which came less than a month after bloody street battles between protesters and police left two people dead and nearly 500 others injured.
"The army should send in its security team to protect innocent people, otherwise they are ignoring their duty as protesters are struggling to protect the monarchy," PAD leader Chamlong Srimuang said on the group's website.
In a separate incident, someone hurled a grenade at the home of Constitutional Court judge Jaran Pakditanakul, a well-known critic of Thaksin. No one was injured in the attack.
A 46-year-old man was also shot dead near a PAD protest camp, although police said it was unclear if his death was related to the unrest.
Meanwhile, PAD protesters set up steel barricades and stopped traffic outside the British embassy to demand Thaksin's extradition.
The multi-millionaire and twice-elected Thai prime minister fled to London in August, two months before he was sentenced in absentia to two years in jail for violating the kingdom's corruption law.
"We are here to tell (British Prime Minister) Gordon Brown that England should not keep a bad guy in the country," PAD spokeswoman Sarocha Pornudomsak shouted to the crowd, most dressed in yellow to show allegiance to the king.
Protesters carried placards of Thaksin and his wife Pojaman saying "Wanted for crimes against the kingdom of Thailand", and up to 3,000 marched through a major thoroughfare before dispersing, police said.
PAD protests in early 2006 helped lead to the coup that unseated Thaksin later that year. The return to power of his allies angered the PAD and the old power elite in the palace, military and bureaucracy.
Somchai -- Thaksin's brother-in-law -- has been under increasing pressure to resign since the bloody October 7 clashes.
PAD supporters have been occupying the grounds of the prime minister's offices in Bangkok's historic district since late August.
Earlier this month the heads of Thailand's armed forces strongly hinted that Somchai should step down, and on Thursday Air Force chief Ittaporn Subhawong urged the premier to protect Thai citizens.
Pro-government supporters have vowed to hold a massive rally at a stadium on Saturday, which Thaksin is expected to address by telephone, creating fears of clashes between his friends and enemies.
