Thai police use water cannons against Red Shirts throwing rocks

Braving rolls of barbed wire, protesters climbed over the fences of the Thaicom satellite station compound on Friday. They demanded that the authorities put their People Television (PTV) back on air.

On Thursday, the authorities had seized equipment and taken the channel off air. They said it was spreading "misinformation" and inciting violence. They also blocked several websites.

But supporters of the protest movement say it is the only station that is objective. "The People's Channel is the only television channel that reports the truth," said one man. "The truth about our fight for democracy. The other channels are just lying about us."

Jatuporn Prompan, one of the opposition movement’s leaders, was on one of the trucks that led the protesters into the compound. "We want our TV back," he said. "You cannot shut our eyes and ears."

24 arrest warrants have been issued for leaders of the red-shirted opposition movement.

Tear gas and water cannons

In a failed attempt to stop the protesters from entering the compound, police fired tear gas into the crowds and used water cannons. This was the first time these means had been used since the protests began a month ago.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban had warned of strict measures earlier: "We will use every means to keep PTV off air. If protests turn violent, security officials are ready to retaliate with tear gas and rubber bullets."

These warnings did not stop thousands of protesters from gathering at Thaicom and eventually storming the grounds, throwing rocks at the security forces, who then retreated into the main building. The protesters did not force their way into the building.

Over 30,000 police and troops have been deployed in and around Bangkok but until now, the prime minister had insisted he would not resort to violence.

Army spokesman Sunsern Kaewkumnerd did say on Friday that it was "crucial for the military and police to bring the situation under control. They will decisively enforce the law."

Red Shirts are resolute

The protests have been going on for some four weeks now and Bangkok's main intersections and shopping districts have been disrupted by tens of thousands of Red Shirts.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is in a difficult patch: If he calls an election, he is very likely to lose. Moreover, if the Red Shirt camp were to win there could be a series of counter-protests by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s "yellow-shirted" opponents.

The Red Shirts have so far rejected certain conciliatory moves such as offering to dissolve parliament in December. The protesters want immediate elections.

Mainly supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the protesters dislike British-born, Oxford-educated Abhisit and accuse him of representing an unelected elite that allows the military to intervene in politics with impunity.

Although on Thursday the stock market lost 2 percent – its biggest fall in over two months – and the baht fell, most investors are confident that even a violent resolution of the situation would fail to derail Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy.

act/Reuters/DPA/AP
Editor: Thomas Baerthlein