Bangkok, March 26: Authorities in Thailand stepped up security Thursday after a series of small bomb blasts raised tensions in the capital as anti-government protests continued for a twelfth day.
The ‘Red Shirt’ protest movement, which wants Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve Parliament and call new elections, staged its latest attention-getting action, having hundreds of supporters shave their heads.
But their nonviolent protest has been marred by a series of small blasts at government-linked targets around Bangkok — most recently on Wednesday night — causing minor damage. Although there have been several injuries, the explosions seem designed to cause alarm rather than to do any real harm, police say.
While no one has claimed responsibility, the timing and targets suggest the attacks are related to the political standoff. The government has blamed the blasts on people trying to stir up tensions, while the Red Shirts say they are being carried out to discredit their protest movement.
In response to the bombings, the Center for Administration of Peace and Order — a special government body to keep security during the protests — announced Thursday it has set up 68 more checkpoints along major highways around Bangkok, augmenting the scores already in place.
The Red Shirts, formally known as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, have pledged nonviolence, and their activities since launching their protest almost two weeks ago have generally been good-natured. They have drawn as many as 100,000 people.
The group, which dresses in red and also has been staging conventional street demonstrations, drew international attention last week with a ‘blood sacrifice’ in which it collected blood from supporters and splattered it at the gates of Abhisit’s office, the headquarters of his ruling party and his private residence.
The Red Shirts consist of supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption, and pro-democracy activists who opposed the army takeover.
They believe Abhisit came to power illegitimately with the connivance of the military and other parts of the traditional ruling class and that only new elections can restore integrity to Thai democracy.
Thaksin’s allies took power in a December 2007 election but were forced out by court rulings. Abhisit’s Democrat Party then rallied the support of enough lawmakers to form a coalition government in December 2008.
–Agencies