Bangkok under state of emergency
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Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has declared a state of emergency in the capital Bangkok, after clashes left at least one person dead.
Dozens more were hurt in the worst violence seen in Bangkok for 16 years.
Mr Samak said he had "no choice" but to impose the measure in order to end the week-old revolt by supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).
But the army commander has promised that his men will not use force to disperse the protesters.
PAD supporters say the government is a front for Thaksin Shinawatra - the former prime minister, now in exile, whom the PAD was instrumental in removing in a coup in 2006.
The PAD has a passionate following in various parts of the country, especially Bangkok, and some powerful backers among the elite.
But it has little support in most of rural Thailand, which voted strongly for Prime Minister Samak, and Mr Thaksin before him.
The street clashes began shortly after midnight, when a screaming crowd of government supporters - armed with sticks and slingshots - ploughed into a group from the PAD, who have been occupying the prime minister's office.