|
 At least one protester was seriously hurt.
Police said the device was hurled at protesters marching with their
leader, Suthep Thaugsuban, near Chulalongkorn University in the city
centre.
"When the incident happened and perpetrators threw the explosive,
Suthep was 30 meters away," Akanat Promphan, a spokesman for the
movement, told Reuters. Suthep was unharmed.
It was not immediately clear who was responsible and the nature of
the device was unknown as forensic experts were prevented from
entering the area.
"We have received 12 people who were injured in the blast. One
person is seriously injured and the other 11 have sustained various
types of injuries, some minor," said an official at Ramathibodi
Hospital.
The overall injury toll came from the Erawan Medical Center, which
monitors Bangkok hospitals.
The latest unrest flared in November and escalated on Monday when
the demonstrators led by Suthep, a former opposition politician,
brought parts of the capital to a standstill and forced many
ministries to close.
They accuse Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her brother,
former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, of corruption and say they want
her to step down to make way for an unelected "people's council" to
push through broad political reforms.
She has called an election for February 2 and now heads a caretaker
administration, but the protesters and opposition parties are
boycotting the vote and want her to go immediately.
The protests have been relatively peaceful until now, but sporadic
flare-ups between protesters, police and government supporters have
left eight people dead and scores injured.
The demonstrations are the biggest since pro-Thaksin protesters
paralyzed Bangkok in April-May 2010. That movement ended with a
military crackdown and more than 90 people, mostly protesters, were
killed during the events.
The stock market fell on Friday as investors cut some risk exposure
after the blast and was down 0.5 percent at the end of trading. The
baht currency also fell but was a shade higher on the day.
TAKING BACK CONTROL?
Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul earlier said it was "about
time" to take back control of Bangkok and that a delegation of
officials, escorted by police and troops, would make a start by
going to a government office that issues passports to try to
persuade the protesters to let work resume.
"If successful, this can be an example for other ministries to
follow," Surapong told a news conference.
Asked if the government was now moving to end the blockade of
ministries and key intersections, he said: "Soon. It's about time.
We have to start to do something."
[to top of second column] |
In the event, the delegation never made it.
"We talked to the protest leaders on the phone and our security
adviser, given the explosion earlier, advised us not to go," said
Sek Wannamethee, a Foreign Ministry spokesman.
Earlier, hundreds of people on motorbikes and in other vehicles
drove up to the government area where the passport office is located
and a confrontation ensued with the protesters, National Security
Council Secretary-General Paradorn Pattanatabut told Reuters.
"They said they were angry at the anti-government crowd who blocked
traffic there and stopped them from getting access to government
services, especially the passport office," he said.
The turmoil is the latest episode in an eight-year conflict pitting
Bangkok's middle class and royalist establishment against poorer,
mainly rural supporters of Yingluck and Thaksin.
That support has enabled him or his allies to win all elections
since 2001 and Yingluck's Puea Thai Party seems certain to win the
upcoming vote.
The government says it must be held on February 2 as parliament has
been dissolved and the date endorsed by the king.
Reuters reporters said at least 2,000 protesters in pickup trucks
and vans headed towards a printing works north of the central
Bangkok, saying it was producing ballot papers and claiming it would
be printing far more than were needed.
Speakers at protest sites across central Bangkok have suggested that
Yingluck is worn out and eager to quit, but at a news conference on
Friday, the prime minister maintained she still enjoyed overwhelming
popular support.
As the deadlock between the government and protesters drags on, many
Thais believe the military could step in to break the impasse,
especially if the protests turn more violent.
The army has staged or attempted 18 coups in 81 years of on-off
democracy but has tried to remain neutral this time.
The security forces have largely kept out of sight since the
blockades began this week, with the government reiterating on Friday
it was keen to avoid any confrontation.
(Editing by Alan Raybould, Nick Macfie and Ron Popeski)
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