Thai political unrest spreads to northeast as protesters block train hauling army vehicles

Thailand’s unrest spreads as army train blocked

BANGKOK — Thailand’s tense political crisis spread from Bangkok to the northeast, as anti-government demonstrators blocked a train carrying military vehicles that they claimed would be used to suppress fellow protesters in the capital.

The confrontation Wednesday came as the “Red Shirt” protesters and security forces remained locked in a potentially explosive standoff in downtown Bangkok. The determined demonstrators are demanding Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva dissolve Parliament and call new elections immediately.

A failed April 10 attempt by security forces to flush protesters from their first encampment in the capital erupted into the worst political violence Thailand has seen in 18 years, with 25 people dead and more than 800 wounded.

The protesters consist mainly of poor rural supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and pro-democracy activists who opposed the military coup that ousted him in 2006.

The Red Shirts believe Abhisit’s government is illegitimate because it came to power under military pressure through a parliamentary vote after disputed court rulings ousted two elected pro-Thaksin governments.

Speculation is rife the government is set to forcibly remove the Red Shirts from the blocks of central Bangkok they’ve occupied for weeks. Soldiers in full combat gear have been stationed in the business district’s main street to block the protesters from entering it.

Early Thursday, helicopters were seen flying high above the protest site, but their purpose was not clear. Protesters shot fireworks at them.

Adding to the tension, several hundred pro-government protesters gathered late Wednesday across from the Red Shirts, shouting, jeering and throwing rocks and bottles at them, AP Television footage showed.

Anti-Red Shirt demonstrators with flags and placards reading, “Give back our city,” and “Yes to democracy! No to red terror,” squared off just yards (meters) apart from their rivals as security forces watched. Several people suffered minor injuries and at least one was detained by police.

The Red Shirts fortified their encampment Wednesday with tire barricades and homemade weapons including bamboo spears and wooden shields, while soldiers and riot police stood warily nearby.

In the province of Khon Kaen, 241 miles (388 kilometers) northeast of Bangkok, some 400 to 500 Red Shirts blocked a train carrying military vehicles, said police Lt. Col. Thanarat Meethonglang.

No violence was reported. Provincial officials were negotiating with the protesters to allow the train to pass.

The Thai Rath newspaper website cited a protest leader saying the Red Shirts intercepted the train after learning its cargo would be used to suppress the demonstrations in Bangkok — an assertion denied by authorities.

Prospects for a peaceful solution to the political crisis appear slim. Negotiations were apparently taking place, however.

“The attempt to negotiate has been ongoing, but the official talks can’t proceed as long as the demonstration remains unlawful,” said government spokesman Panitan Wattanyagorn.

“The situation has changed now that violence has occurred and terrorism has been involved,” he said, referring to the April 10 clash, in which masked gunmen returned soldiers’ fire with assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades.

Key protest leader Nattawut Saikua earlier indicated the demonstrators were open to negotiations to end the confrontations and chaos in the city, which is damaging the economy, as well as trying residents’ patience.

“Our group is always open to outside suggestions. Whatever group wants to propose a solution to the crisis, we’re happy to hear these solutions,” Nattawut said. But the protest leaders have sent mixed signals, with some saying talks are not wanted.

Hotels and retailers in the protest zone, which spans about 1.8 square miles (3 square kilometers) say the rallies have cost tens of millions of dollars in losses. Several five-star hotels closed for the week and relocated guests to safer hotels.

Upscale shopping malls in the middle of the protest have been shut for weeks.

Associated Press writers Jocelyn Gecker, Grant Peck and Denis D. Gray contributed to this report.