Thai protesters, army make tentative peace overtures
BANGKOK : Thailand's army and anti-government protesters made tentative peace overtures on Friday, seeking to avoid a looming crackdown and a repeat of clashes that left 25 people dead earlier this month.
The army chief said that the use of force was no solution to Thailand's crisis, which pits the red-shirted demonstrators against a government they condemn as illegitimate and undemocratic.
"The use of force will not end the current problems and would have many repercussions," army chief General Anupong Paojinda told a meeting of top brass, according to deputy spokesman Colonel Sirichan Ngathong.
"The best thing is to create understanding among the people. The army's job now is to take care of the people, and not allow Thais to attack each other."
Anupong told AFP on Thursday that he aimed to end the standoff without further bloodshed, saying the authorities "can uphold the law with no people dead or injured".
His comments, which contrasted with warnings earlier this week that security forces were ready to use live ammunition if needed, came amid high tensions in the capital, which is under a state of emergency.
Five grenade blasts hit Bangkok's financial hub on Thursday night, targeting hundreds of pro-government supporters in attacks that left one Thai woman dead and scores wounded, including foreigners.
Thai police sought on Friday to push the Red Shirts from a confrontation zone on the edge of the financial district where they have clashed with hardline pro-government mobs.
Hundreds of riot police, unarmed but carrying shields and batons, moved on the heavily fortified barricades which form the front line of the Reds' vast encampment that has paralysed the main retail district in the heart of Bangkok.
They later withdrew after failing to win an agreement with the Reds, who stepped back but kept in place the barrier made of truck tyres, sharpened bamboo staves and plastic sheeting which has also been doused with fuel.
Reds leader Veera Musikapong said on Friday they were open to elections in three months as a way out of the crippling deadlock - a step back from their original demand for immediate polls.
"If the government says it will dissolve the House within 30 days, it is negotiable," he said.
"After the House dissolution, the government will have another 60 days to prepare for elections. In total it will be 90 days. But the government has to stop threatening people and show responsibility for what has happened."
Authorities are under pressure to end the street rallies which broke out in mid-March, but tensions are still high after April 10 clashes triggered by a failed attempt to disperse the Reds left 25 people dead and more than 800 injured.
The escalating crisis has triggered alarm at the United Nations and among foreign governments which issued urgent calls for restraint and warned their citizens to stay away from the protests or avoid Bangkok altogether.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the grenades in Thursday's blasts were fired from within the sprawling Red Shirt encampment, but leaders of the protest movement denied they were responsible.
"The bomb attacks last night have nothing to do with our movement. We still adhere to a policy of non-violence," said Red Shirt leader Nattawut Saikuar, accusing the government of orchestrating the blasts.
Undaunted by the overnight bloodshed, thousands of supporters of the embattled government rallied in a different location on Friday, calling for an end to weeks of protests that have damaged the kingdom's economy and reputation.
Thailand's royal family will pay the medical and funeral expenses for victims of the grenade blasts, the palace said.
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is seen as a unifying figure, has no official political role and has made no public comment on the recent bloodshed.
During a 1992 uprising the king chastised both the military and protest leaders, effectively bringing the violence to an end, and anti-government "Red Shirts" have called for him to intervene in the current crisis.
Thailand has been in turmoil since former premier Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a 2006 coup.
The Reds, drawn from the ranks of the rural poor as well as increasing numbers of urban working class, are mostly supporters of Thaksin, who is now living in exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption. - AFP/ms
