Anti-Government Protest Clash Leaves Four Injured

[waerth]

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/anti-government-protest-clash-leaves-four-injured/

 

Four persons were injured by gunfire and small bombs in a clash between ant-government protesters and a group of red-shirt supporters of the government in Lamluka district of Pathum Thani province late this afternoon.

On the Facebook page of the Center for the Administration of Peace and Order (CAPO), it said the four injured are two red-shirt members of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), one anti-government protester, and a student.

CAPO said the four victims were injured by gunshots and small bombs.

The clash happened when a group of protesters supporting the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) in trucks was on the way to persuade residents at a housing estate to join the January 13 Bangkok Shutdown protest and encountered a number of red-shirt supporters of the government.

The red-shirt supporters shouted at the PDRC supporters and attempted to assault them. Several gunshots were heard and small bombs were thrown, resulted in four injured.

Pathum Thani police were alerted and rushed to stop the fighting and keep both rival groups to stay apart.

Three were injured by gunfire while the student was injured by shrapnel of the small bomb.

Police in Pathum Thani are on alert to prevent more clashes by the two rival groups.

[waerth]

Turdsak Numsakul Esq â€@bkkbase 14m

This video appears to show Red Shirts shooting automatic weapons at anti-gov protesters today.

[Flashermac]

M16? Doesn't quite sound like an AK-47.

[Ed Zeppelin]

According to the Bangkok Post, the shooting over night at Ratchadamnoen Avenue, which left one dead and seven injured, was also believed to be from an M16 rifle.

[Flashermac]

During the 2010 protests, soldiers were shot and killed with M16s. There are even videos of the "men in black" shooting at the Army at Kok Wua, where the colonel of the Queen's Guard Battalion was killed. But of course that didn't really happen.

[Mekong]

Lamluka, does not surprise me at all.

 

There is a Major Red Base at Phan Thani Village just North of Lamluka road close to the outer ring road, these were the bunch who launched an RPG at the fuel storage depot back in 2010 less than 2 KM from their base.

 

Next to them is Lat Sawai, an area which has been developed over the past 10 years or so middle class Moo Bahn's where before 2011 floods the average house price was 5 Million Baht, post 2011 500,000 Baht, all built in the flood plains in paddy fields.

[Flashermac]

Injuries in Pathum Thani clash

 

 

AT LEAST FOUR PEOPLE were injured when a group of red shirts clashed with People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) supporters in Pathum Thani yesterday.

 

The clash erupted after PDRC supporters began travelling around Pathum Thani's Muang district, inviting residents to join their anti-government rally on Monday, which will be held in tandem with the PDRC-led Bangkok shutdown. The procession led by outspoken monk Luangpu Buddha Isara included some 100 vehicles.

 

In the clash, a 16-year-old student and a man were hurt by shrapnel from giant firecrackers, while two red-shirt supporters, Prayad Nakplong and Sutiwat Tima, were also injured with the latter shot in the head.

 

Upon learning of the PDRC procession, red-shirt leader Wutthipong Kajathamkhun, better known as Koh Tee, decided to lead a group of red shirts to confront the anti-government crowd.

 

Police tried to stop the two sides from confronting each other, but Wutthipong's vehicle broke through the police's barricade, resulting in a violent clash.

 

There were sounds of gunfire and explosions and it was found that a red-shirt man had been shot and another man injured by an explosive. A blast also injured a teenage boy who was passing by. All four were rushed to Bhumibol and B-Care hospitals.

 

A bullet hole was also found in the windscreen of a PDRC vehicle.

 

Also yesterday, Sornrak Malaithong led hundreds of members of the People's Radio for Democracy on motorcycles from Pathum Thani's Talad Thai Market to the headquarters of Daily News and Thai Rath newspapers as well as to the head offices of ThaiPBS and Channel 7 TV stations.

 

They demanded that the media provide fair reports on the political conflict and called on Bangkok residents to come out against the planned shutdown.

 

Sornrak's group also stopped at the Department of Special Investigation to express support, before heading back. On their way they passed a group of PDRC demonstrators and there was the hurling of abuse back and forth without any violence.

 

In a separate development, police yesterday arrested a fourth-year student from Ramkhamhaeng University for allegedly stealing the gear of riot-control police officers.

 

Pol Colonel Saroj Soonsup, deputy commander of Metropolitan Police Division 4, said Chakkrapong Boonruang, 23, had been arrested at his rented room in Ramkhamhaeng Soi 57, where they found a bullet-proof vest, a helmet, leg-protectors, a black baton, a teargas canister and other things.

 

Saroj said police raided Chakkrapong's room following a tip-off from a resident in the soi, who said that teenagers living in the area had been boasting about having stolen some riot-police gear during the December 26 clash at the Thai-Japanese stadium.

 

Separately, the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order (CAPO) yesterday urged people affected by the anti-government protests to file police compalints.

 

CAPO's deputy chief Pracha Promnok said people living in Bangkok could file complaints at any police stations as well as the Crime Suppression Bureau on Phaholyothin Road. He said that provincial authorities would assign officials to accept complaints.

 

He said a 24-hour police service had been set up to deal with |problems during the shutdown, specifically if people are unable to conduct financial activities such as pay car loans, insurance or rent.

 

The First Army Region Commander Lt-General Teerachai Nakwanich said yesterday that 40 companies of military officers would join forces with police to take care of the situation on Monday.

 

Deputy national police chief Pol General Worapong Chewpreecha had earlier said that 56 companies of police would be among 96 companies of defence personnel to be deployed on the day.

 

 

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Injuries-in-Pathum-Thani-clash-30224014.html