Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva pledged to work for national reconciliation Friday after a week of mayhem devastated parts of Bangkok and left 53 people dead and 401 injured.
'We have restored order in the capital of Bangkok and in the provinces of Thailand,' Abhisit said. 'There are huge challenges ahead of us, particularly the challenge of overcoming the divisions that have occurred in the country'.
Abhisit said his government would go forward with a reconciliation plan based on participation, democracy and justice. But he did not make clear whether this plan would include an early dissolution of parliament and a November election as he had previously proposed.
Rejection of that 'road map' plan by anti-government protesters led to the army's attack Wednesday on their protest site in the central Bangkok district of Ratchaprasong.
Fifteen people were killed and another 103 were wounded in the assault and bloody rioting that night, Bangkok's Erawan Emergency Centre said.
The city government said more than 300 incidents of rioters vandalising public property had been reported since Wednesday, with 36 buildings destroyed or damaged by arson attacks.
A curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. was in force until at least Sunday morning, and the Skytrain and subway transit systems remained out of service. Government offices were closed until Monday.
Military officials said it would be at least another day or two until the Ratchaprasong area, home to some of the city's most luxurious shopping malls and hotels, could be reopened to the public. They claimed to have found a cache of weapons in and around the protest site, including 45 M-79 grenades, a grenade launcher and an M-16 assault rifle.
A large part of Central World, one of the biggest shopping centres in Asia, collapsed after it was set alight by angry protesters when troops and armoured vehicles moved in Wednesday.
Protesters also set fire to 10 branches of Bangkok Bank, another business group deemed close to the establishment, and an eleventh branch was set on fire west of Bangkok Thursday night.
The United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), which is supported politically and financially from abroad by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, started demonstrating in Bangkok March 12. They took over the Ratchaprasong area April 3, vowing to remain until all their demands were met.
When the army moved in on the district Wednesday and the UDD leaders surrendered to police, a group of militants among the protesters went on the rampage, hitting specific targets considered to be allied with their enemies.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Update "Swine Flu" news in Thailand
The Thai government has assured foreign investors of their safety from the swine flu outbreak while visiting the country.Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told a press conference earlier on Tuesday that his administration will try its best to make overseas tourists feel safe from the swine influenza which has killed more than 100 people in Mexico already.Abhisit also told the nation that there has not been any confirmed case of infection in Thailand yet.
However, local news have reported that a 42-year-old woman has just been admitted to Chulalongkorn Hospital today for suspected contraction of the deadly virus. Reports also stated that the country’s first flu suspect returned from Mexico earlier this month before falling sick. Meanwhile, the government has set up a special taskforce to monitor the situation in the kingdom. The team is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kajornprasat.
In addition, Abhisit denied claims that the government has forbidden Thais from traveling to risk countries including Mexico and certain states in the U.S.However, he affirmed that strict measures are now in place to watch over the arrivals of suspected patients.At the same time, Public Health Minister, Witthaya Kaewparadai, has asked those with plans to visit the countries where the virus could be spreading to put off their plans for some time.
Moreover, Bangkok Governor, give 600,000 pcs of mask for people to prevent from the Swine Flu.
However, local news have reported that a 42-year-old woman has just been admitted to Chulalongkorn Hospital today for suspected contraction of the deadly virus. Reports also stated that the country’s first flu suspect returned from Mexico earlier this month before falling sick. Meanwhile, the government has set up a special taskforce to monitor the situation in the kingdom. The team is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kajornprasat.
In addition, Abhisit denied claims that the government has forbidden Thais from traveling to risk countries including Mexico and certain states in the U.S.However, he affirmed that strict measures are now in place to watch over the arrivals of suspected patients.At the same time, Public Health Minister, Witthaya Kaewparadai, has asked those with plans to visit the countries where the virus could be spreading to put off their plans for some time.
Moreover, Bangkok Governor, give 600,000 pcs of mask for people to prevent from the Swine Flu.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Government warns travellers to avoid Bangkok
Australia, Russia and Hong Kong have joined governments around the world in urging their citizens to avoid or reconsider travelling to the protest-hit Bangkok.
The warnings were issued as troops fired warning shots and tear gas in clashes with petrol bomb-hurling protesters in Bangkok, leaving 70 injured, although there were no reports of tourists being involved or hurt.
Under-pressure prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Sunday issued a state of emergency in the capital, after a similar measure was imposed the day before in the popular resort city of Pattaya, 150 kilometres away.
"We urge Australians not in Bangkok to reconsider their need to travel to Bangkok,'' Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told reporters in Canberra as the security situation in the "Land of Smiles'' deteriorated.
"Those Australians who are in Bangkok, we urge them to stay within their homes or their hotels, to certainly avoid demonstrations and to certainly avoid large gatherings of people,'' Smith added.
Smith's warning echoed an official travel advisory issued Monday, the fourth time in three days that the Australian government's advice on Thailand has been revised in the face of a rapidly evolving crisis.
In Tokyo, the Japanese foreign ministry warned travellers to be on high alert and to stay away from government buildings and street rallies.
The ministry also recommended that Japanese travellers and residents refrain from wearing red or yellow T-shirts to avoid being mistaken for either anti- or pro-government protesters.
A particular feature of the unrest in the past year has been the strong allegiance to colours, with the current anti-government demonstrators wearing red, while last year their opponents adopted yellow as their signature colour.
After an Asian summit in Pattaya was cancelled because of the protests on Saturday, Moscow quickly moved to advise its nationals against travel to Bangkok. Thailand has become increasingly popular with Russians in recent years.
"Russia's foreign ministry recommends that Russian tourists refrain from visiting Bangkok as long as protests continue, and those who stay in the town of Pattaya not to leave their hotels if possible,'' a ministry statement said.
The Philippines, Malaysia and South Korea on Monday also told travellers to stay away from Bangkok or exercise extreme caution there.
And Hong Kong stepped up its travel advisory.
"(The government) strongly urged Hong Kong residents to avoid travelling to Thailand, particularly Bangkok, unless they have an urgent need to do so,'' a spokesman said in a statement.
"Those who are already there should pay close attention to the situation there and stay away from large crowds or protesters.''
Hong Kong's Travel Industry Council estimated there were around 8,000 visitors from Hong Kong currently in Thailand, many who had jetted there over the long Easter weekend holiday.
The warnings were issued as troops fired warning shots and tear gas in clashes with petrol bomb-hurling protesters in Bangkok, leaving 70 injured, although there were no reports of tourists being involved or hurt.
Under-pressure prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Sunday issued a state of emergency in the capital, after a similar measure was imposed the day before in the popular resort city of Pattaya, 150 kilometres away.
"We urge Australians not in Bangkok to reconsider their need to travel to Bangkok,'' Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith told reporters in Canberra as the security situation in the "Land of Smiles'' deteriorated.
"Those Australians who are in Bangkok, we urge them to stay within their homes or their hotels, to certainly avoid demonstrations and to certainly avoid large gatherings of people,'' Smith added.
Smith's warning echoed an official travel advisory issued Monday, the fourth time in three days that the Australian government's advice on Thailand has been revised in the face of a rapidly evolving crisis.
In Tokyo, the Japanese foreign ministry warned travellers to be on high alert and to stay away from government buildings and street rallies.
The ministry also recommended that Japanese travellers and residents refrain from wearing red or yellow T-shirts to avoid being mistaken for either anti- or pro-government protesters.
A particular feature of the unrest in the past year has been the strong allegiance to colours, with the current anti-government demonstrators wearing red, while last year their opponents adopted yellow as their signature colour.
After an Asian summit in Pattaya was cancelled because of the protests on Saturday, Moscow quickly moved to advise its nationals against travel to Bangkok. Thailand has become increasingly popular with Russians in recent years.
"Russia's foreign ministry recommends that Russian tourists refrain from visiting Bangkok as long as protests continue, and those who stay in the town of Pattaya not to leave their hotels if possible,'' a ministry statement said.
The Philippines, Malaysia and South Korea on Monday also told travellers to stay away from Bangkok or exercise extreme caution there.
And Hong Kong stepped up its travel advisory.
"(The government) strongly urged Hong Kong residents to avoid travelling to Thailand, particularly Bangkok, unless they have an urgent need to do so,'' a spokesman said in a statement.
"Those who are already there should pay close attention to the situation there and stay away from large crowds or protesters.''
Hong Kong's Travel Industry Council estimated there were around 8,000 visitors from Hong Kong currently in Thailand, many who had jetted there over the long Easter weekend holiday.
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