Surrounded by hundreds of heavily armed soldiers,
anti-government protesters in Thailand's capital have begun to disperse
peacefully. The move averted more bloodshed after two days of violent
clashes.
A protest leader speaks to demonstrators gathered at Thailand's Government House.
The leaders of the so-called Red Shirts on Tuesday morning urged their followers to go home peacefully.
A
day after street battles left more than 100 injured and two dead,
Bangkok was bracing for more violence. As many as 2,000 protesters were
surrounded at Government House by hundreds of troops.
Also Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban warned of possible sabotage by the protesters.
Suthep says three men linked to the protesters have been arrested. He says they planned to bomb a bank and another building.
The
protesters support former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and demand
that the current government resign. Mr. Thaksin was ousted in a coup in
2006 and now lives in exile.
གཟའ་སྤེན་པ། ༢༠༢༤/༠༥/༠༤