Bangkok (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Clashes between police and almost 5 thousand protestors last night in Bangkok lasted over two hours. The pro-democracy demonstrators had gathered outside the home of Prem Tinsulanonda, accredited councillor to King Bhumibol Adulyadej. When police in riot gear tried to disperse the crowd and arrest the leaders, protesters hurled rocks, water bottles and other objects at them. Two hours of the most violent protest since a military coup ousted the government last September 2006, ensued.
Around 270 people were injured in the fighting, many of them police officers, while the police and protestors exchange accusations over who instigated the violence. Police in Thailand have charged six pro-democracy protesters and are hunting eight others they say led an anti-coup demonstration.
Anukorn Waithanomsak, a protest leader, says “The police didn't try to negotiate with protest leaders at all”, “Policemen beat protesters up with batons and dozens of protesters were injured”.
The protesters say Prem was behind a bloodless coup which removed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Following the Constitutional Courts disbanding of Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai party May last, when it banned over 100 of its members from taking part in any political activity, supporters have recently begun holding a series of protests night-time in Bangkok. Last week Thaksin presented a request for compensation amounting to 1.5 million to an anti corruption Committee appointed by the military junta, for damages caused by the freezing of his assets of 1.58 million dollars.
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