Monday, May 24, 2010

Bangkok Curfew Imposed As Violence And Fires Rage In Thailand

Bangkok Curfew Imposed To Curb Violence In Thailand

As protests and violence are still taking place, officials have declared a curfew for Bangkok and other areas. This may be a prelude to martial law being declared in the capital of Thailand, if the situation doesn't start to subside. The anti-government Red Shirt protesters aren’t giving up, and violence is beginning to escalate. Several foreign governments are urging their citizens to keep away from Thailand altogether or to leave as soon as possible.

Source for this article: Bangkok curfew imposed as violence and fires rage in Thailand By Personal Money Store

Bangkok protester encampment raided

The damage done by the riots will take more than a little instant money to fix, and the government nevertheless lacks confidence among a large section of the public. A camp full of Red Shirt protesters has been raided by the Thai military, as outlined by the Christian Science Monitor. After the raid was over, Bangkok also as other areas of Thailand had a curfew imposed. As soon as government troops had taken over the camp, leaders of the Red Shirt protesters announced they would surrender to avoid further violence and bloodshed. Further rioting started, and numerous buildings were set on fire.

British Government issues travel advisory

Any subjects of Great Britain presently in Thailand have been issued an advisory by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, according to the BBC. The British Embassy had closed on May 14 due to violence in the capital. They are advising Britons in Bangkok and other areas of Thailand to stay home if at all possible, and if they must travel, to do so after curfew hours with all appropriate paperwork to ensure their safety. Thai officials have said travel after curfew can be fine if all necessary paperwork is on hand.

Further unease

After the camp of Red Shirts was raided, fires broke out which emergency services had difficulty getting to. Red shirt protesters are calling for an entirely new election to be held, as they’re deeply dissatisfied with the current government. This could take awhile to resolve.

Citations

Christian Science Monitor

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2010/0519/Clashes-fires-roil-Bangkok-despite-red-shirt-protest-leaders-surrender

BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8693122.stm



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