Three People Killed and Teenager Held over Bangkok Mall Shooting - BBC News

Oct 3, 2023 | Three people have been killed in a shooting at a luxury shopping mall in the centre of Thailand's capital, Bangkok, medics say. Four other people were injured in the incident, including a foreign national.

A suspect - a 14-year-old boy - has been arrested after surrendering. He had been using a handgun, police said.

The prime minister said the situation had been brought under control and police were clearing the scene, according to the AFP news agency.

Woman’s Leg Amputated at Bangkok Airport after Getting Stuck in Moving Walkway

THE GUARDIAN: Airport expresses ‘deepest condolences’ after 57-year-old gets caught and has left leg removed from above the knee

A woman’s leg has been amputated in a Thai airport after it became trapped by a movable walkway on Thursday, officials said.

The 57-year-old Thai passenger was due to board a morning flight from Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport to Nakhon Si Thammarat province when she was caught by the walkway in Terminal 2. A medical team there eventually had to remove her left leg from above the knee, according to the airport’s officials. » | Associated Press | Friday, June 30, 2023

Thailand Pride Celebrations Kick Off in Bangkok - BBC News

Jun 4, 2023 | Pride celebrations have begun in Thailand. Thailand is open to LGBTQ+ communities but has never passed the same-sex marriage law. However, the winner of the recent election, the Move Forward party, has said that adopting this law is part of its main agenda.

Thousands Line Streets to Mourn Thai King | DW News

Mourners have gathered on the streets of the Thai capital, Bangkok to catch a glimpse of the hearse carrying King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s body from the hospital to the grand palace. Many people are overcome with grief at the 88-year-old monarch’s death.

Thai Woman Awaits Verdict in Royal-insult Trial
A Thai woman is facing 20 years in jail for comments posted online criticising the Thai king, who is revered as God in the Southeast Asian country. Chiranuch Premchaiporn, a web master, was initially arrested in 2009, charged with being too slow to remove 10 comments from a forum on her website. The postings were made by other people, but under tough computer crime laws enacted after the military coup in 2006, the website's host can also be prosecuted. Chiranuch's verdict was delayed by a month because the judge needed more time. The Thai royal family is, by law, above criticism. Anyone who is caught breaking the rules is more often than not, thrown in jail. Earlier this month, an elderly man died less than six months into a 20-year prison sentence for sending four text messages that were deemed insulting to the monarchy. The death of Amphon Tangnoppakul, also known as Uncle SMS, has shone a light on the country's strict lèse-majesté laws, legal stipulations which criminalise the violation of the royal family and which were designed to prevent criticism of them. Family members of prisoners, also a growing portion of the public, are trying to push for changes to the lèse-majesté laws. Yingluck Shinawtra, the Thai prime minister, admitted to Al Jazeera in a recent interview that the law is sometimes misused. Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay says from Bangkok.

Reporter's Firsthand Account of Thailand Turmoil

Bangkok Clean-up Begins Amid Curfews

Thailand Extends Curfew As Hardline Protesters Fight On
THE TELEGRAPH: Thailand has imposed three more days of curfew in Bangkok and 23 other provinces as the military extended its operations to crush an anti-government protest movement.



One day after the army moved into the Red Shirt protestor encampment in the centre of the capital, sparking a night of violence in which 35 buildings were torched, residents of Bangkok were struggling to regain some sort of normality.

But the extension of the first curfew in 18 years was a sign that the chaos of recent months and days had not been banished by the extensive army deployment.

In announcing the curfew would stretch until Sunday, officials said rioting of the part 24 hours had been systematically planned. Col Sansern Kawekamnerd, an army spokesman, said a cache of bombs, "war ammunition" and guns including AK-47 and M-16 automatic rifles in the crackdown had been found at opposition strongholds.

"Such violence couldn't happen without systematic planning," said government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn. "The security forces will continue operations to restore order and arrest those involved in terrorism." >>> Damien McElroy in Bangkok | Thursday, May 20, 2010

Bangkok in Flames as Protesters Refuse to Back Down
THE TELEGRAPH: Bangkok is in flames as the government admits it lost control when protesters set fire to key buildings in the city following a day of running battles with troops which left 12 dead and 60 injured.

A statue of Buddha and a torn Thai national flag remain in front of Bangkok's Central World shopping mall. Photo: The Telegraph
Rioters set fires at the stock exchange, electricity headquarters, banks and government offices. Siam Theatre, a much loved city institution, collapsed in flames. Hundreds of people had to be rescued from the burning headquarters of Channel 3 television. The death toll since fresh outbreaks of violence on Thursday now stands at 51.

The government issued "shoot on site" orders for a dawn raid as troops tried to disperse 2,000 Red Shirts who had been camped in Rajprasong, the capital's premier shopping and office district, for more than six weeks.

Seven of the Red Shirt leaders surrendered to police but militant gangs waged an arson and looting spree. The vast Central World shopping centre was torched as government troops shot to kill in a last ditch effort to defend it.

When the army finally marched cautiously into the protesters' former stronghold they discovered that the 2,000 strong crowd had dwindled to one woman.

Kuesadee Narukan, an elderly nurse, stood holding a red flag in the deserted arena. The sound system remained on and rice was cooking on the boilers. "I am not afraid. I am ready for my punishment," she said. "I am a fighter for democracy. >>> Damien McElroy and Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok | Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Related articles and videos here

Bangkok's Savage Conflict May Be A Mere Dress Rehearsal
THE TELEGRAPH: Thailand is torn between two rival camps, best characterised as competing patronage networks.

Since March 12, tens of thousands of red-shirted demonstrators have occupied central areas of Bangkok, demanding the resignation of the Oxford-educated prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and the dissolution of parliament. The violence peaked on April 10 – when more than 20 people were killed – and has flared up again, as the military have tried to clear out the Redshirts' encampment.

At times, the security forces have fought pitched battles with protesters. The fatalities have included a Japanese cameraman, and several foreigners have been injured, including a Canadian journalist. In recent days, snipers have been shooting people from high buildings.

This has been portrayed as a struggle between poor farmers from the countryside and an undemocratic Bangkok elite. Yet despite the sympathetic coverage for the Redshirts in much of the international media, this is not a classic "pro-democracy" struggle between good guys and bad guys. It is a savage and dispiriting civil conflict, from which nobody emerges with much credit. Read on and comment >>> Duncan McCargo | Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Protesters Set Fire to Thai Stock Exchange: Leaders Surrender But Some Protesters Flee, Set Fires Around City
Hardliners set the Thai stock exchange building in Bangkok on fire even though leaders of the mainstream "Red Shirt" protesters surrendered to the army. Photo: The Wall Street Journal
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: BANGKOK—Hard-line Thai protesters set fire Wednesday to the country's stock exchange, shopping malls and a television station, while Thai authorities called an 8 p.m. curfew, casting doubt on the prospects for a resolution to the country's weeks-long political crisis despite the surrender of protest leaders earlier in the day.

Thai Red Shirt protest leaders called off their marathon rally and surrendered to police Wednesday after an early morning army assault on their heavily fortified camp in the center of Bangkok.

But in the midafternoon, smoke could be seen billowing from the Stock Exchange of Thailand's headquarters as helicopters buzzed in the sky above. Though trading has been taking place at a different, undisclosed location in recent days, stock-exchange officials said markets would be closed Thursday. Earlier in the day, Thailand's benchmark index finished up 0.7% on hopes for a quick resolution. Authorities also said commercial banks around the country would be closed Thursday and Friday.

Thick plumes of smoke rose across other locations in the city as militant protesters targeted some of Bangkok's main commercial centers. In other parts of Thailand, local television broadcast pictures of antigovernment demonstrators setting alight a provincial government building in northeastern Khon Kaen. >>> James Hookway | Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Thai Army Busts Through Fortification


More Protests and a Nude Rally in Bangkok

Thai Red Shirts Call Off Protest As Thai Government Troops Storm Barricades
TIMES ONLINE: Thai protest leaders formally called off their anti-government sit-in and surrendered to police today after a bloody army assault on their camp left at least four dead.

Three foreign journalists were shot, one of them fatally and at least three anti-government protesters were killed in Bangkok today as Thai soldiers and armoured vehicles stormed the barricades of the Redshirt encampment.

Seven Red Shirt leaders went on stage in the core protest zone to announce their decision which was greeted with shouts of dismay from the men and women gathered there.

Protest leader Natawut Saikua said "we have done our best." Weng Tojirakarn said: "we want to prevent further losses of our Red Shirt brothers and sisters."

He said "let us first prevent further losses of lives," and urged supporters to leave the area. Red Shirt protesters have now fled the area. >>> Times Online and Richard Lloyd Parry | Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Thailand's Red Shirts Bring Anarchy to Bangkok
THE TELEGRAPH: Thailand's anti-government protesters brought anarchy to a swath of Bangkok last night in defiance of a government deadline to disband mass demonstrations at the heart of the capital.

Mobs set fire to office towers and expensive blocks of flats across a three-mile zone of chaos in one of south-east Asia's richest cities.

Army reinforcements established road blocks and checkpoints but failed to deter the spread of the Red Shirt movement, which is loyal to exiled billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra.

An afternoon deadline for the clearance of Ratchaprasong, the main demonstration site, passed with a 5,000 strong crowd defying a warning that it was "no longer safe".

The deadline, set by Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thailand's Eton-educated prime minister, was dropped after encountering the opposition of the country's military high command. >>> Damien McElroy and Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok | Monday, May 17, 2010

Thai Unrest Threatens to Spread
THE BOSTON GLOBE: Leadership rejects protesters’ call for UN mediation

BANGKOK — Antigovernment unrest boiling over in downtown Bangkok spread to other areas of the capital and Thailand as the military defended its use of force in a crackdown that has left 36 people dead in four days. Thai leaders flatly rejected protesters’ demands that the United Nations intercede to end the chaos.

Rapid gunfire and explosions echoed before dawn today outside the luxury hotels bordering the barricaded protest zone, where the military has attempted to seal in thousands of demonstrators camping in the downtown streets. Guests at the upscale Dusit Thani hotel were rushed to the basement for safety.

Yesterday, plumes of black smoke hung over city streets where protesters set fire to tires, fired homemade rockets, and threw gasoline bombs at soldiers who used rubber bullets and live ammunition to pick off rioters who approached their lines. Army sharpshooters crouched behind sandbags and fired to keep attackers at bay.

Leaders of the protesters, who have dubbed themselves Red Shirts, said they wanted talks mediated by the UN, provided the government agreed to an immediate cease-fire and pulled its troops back. >>> Chriss Blake | Monday, May 17, 2010

Crisis in Thailand Deepens


Under Fire in Bangkok


Thai Residents Living in Chaos

Thailand: Bangkoks Innenstadt gleicht einem Schlachtfeld
DIE PRESSE: Bei den immer heftigeren Zusammenstößen zwischen Oppostion und Exekutive in Bangkok starben bisher mindestens 22 Menschen. Die Innenstadt wurde zur Sperrzone erklärt. Dort wird scharf geschossen.

Foto: Die Presse
In der von den Streitkräften deklarieren Sperrzone wurden Demonstranten und Anrainer auf Schildern in Thai und Englisch vor Schusswaffengebrauch gewarnt. In mehreren Teilen Bangkoks gab es auch am Samstag wieder Zusammenstöße zwischen Oppositions-anhängern und Sicherheitskräften, vereinzelt waren Explosionen zu hören. Demonstranten beschuldigten Scharfschützen des Heeres, drei Oppositionsanhänger mit Kopfschüssen gezielt getötet zu haben.

"Die Lage kommt minütlich einem Bürgerkrieg näher", sagte einer der Führer der Proteste, Jatuporn Prompan. Zugleich erklärte er, die Regierungsgegner seien entschlossen weiterzukämpfen. >>> APA | Samstag, 15. Mai 2010

Verbunden / Related: hier / here

Twenty-two Killed in Bangkok's Bloody Street Battles
Thai soldiers open fire as they clash with Red Shirt anti-government protesters in Bangkok. Photograph: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: Thai troops have opened fire on anti-government protesters and more than 20 are dead after a a third day of bloody clashes on the streets of Bangkok.

The army offensive against the thousands of Red Shirt demonstrators occupying a sprawling encampment in the city’s commercial district escalated on Saturday.

Soldiers started moving in on Thursday but their attempts to disperse the camp have been met with fierce resistance, resulting in increasingly bloody street battles.

Crowds of protesters hurled homemade rockets, petrol bombs and burning tires at the advancing troops, who returned fire with live rounds of ammunition.

An estimated 22 people, all civilians, have been killed in the last three days and at least 161 injured.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva spoke on national TV, on Saturday afternoon, promising to restore order to the city with “minimum loss of life”.

However he stood by the military action and claimed that the protesters, who are calling for him to resign, had been infiltrated by “terrorists”.

Abhisit said: “The government must move forward. We cannot retreat because we are doing things that will benefit the entire country. >>> Robin Henry | Sunday, May 16, 2010

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Bangkok : huit nouveaux morts dans les affrontements, le Premier ministre ne veut pas "reculer"
Des tirs nourris et des explosions ont continué de résonner dans Bangkok toute la journée. Photo : Le Temps
LE TEMPS: Le Premier ministre thaïlandais a exclu samedi de renoncer aux opérations militaires engagées contre les manifestants, alors que Bangkok a été le théâtre de nouvelles scènes de guérilla urbaine au cours desquelles huit personnes ont été tuées et près de 50 blessées, selon les services de secours de la capitale thaïlandaise.Au total, selon les services de secours, 24 personnes ont été tuées depuis jeudi soir, date de la reprise des violences. "Nous ne pouvons reculer et permettre à ceux qui violent la loi et arment des militants de tenir tête au gouvernement", a déclaré Abhisit Vejjajijva à la télévision. Peu avant, le porte-parole de l'armée avait évoqué la possibilité d'un coup de force dans le quartier contrôlé par les "chemises rouges" antigouvernementales. >>> AFP | Samedi 15 Mai 2010

Le gouvernement thaïlandais se durcit face aux «rouges»
Le général rebelle Seh Daeng a été touché par un tir de sniper, jeudi, à Bangkok. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: La situation était explosive vendredi à Bangkok, où les affrontements entre soldats et antigouvernementaux ont fait un mort et douze blessés, dont un chef militaire des «chemises rouges», un journaliste thaïlandais et un journaliste canadien de France 24.

La journée de jeudi a commencé avec une phrase du premier ministre thaïlandais, qui a mis le feu aux poudres dans le camp des «chemises rouges». «J'ai annulé la date des élections. C'est ma décision car les manifestants refusent de se disperser».

«Les chemises rouges n'ont accepté que verbalement de se joindre à la feuille de route vers la réconciliation», a expliqué de son côté Korbsak Sabhavasu, son secrétaire général. «Mais ils n'ont pas décidé de mettre fin aux manifestations et il est donc impossible d'organiser des élections comme prévues». >>> Par Flore Galaud | Vendredi 14 Mai 2010

Thai Foreign Minister: ‘Thaksin Shinawatra Is a Terrorist’
TIMES ONLINE: Thailand’s Foreign Minister has described the former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, as a “bloody terrorist” who can be compared to Stalin, Mussolini and Hitler. The comments are likely to further inflame Mr Thaksin's Red Shirt supporters, who are engaged in a bloody stand-off with the Government.

Speaking on the fringes of the nuclear summit in Washington, Kasit Piromya denounced foreign governments, including Russia and Germany, as well as the Interpol police agency, for not co-operating in returning Mr Thaksin to Thailand, where he has been convicted in absentia for corruption.

“Everyone is washing their hands but he is a bloody terrorist,” Mr Kasit said. “There is this act of interference by third countries – how can the Russians allow him there for two days or the Germans before that? Everyone is playing naive, closing their eyes and so on, simply because he was once an elected leader.” >>> Richard Lloyd Parry, Bangkok | Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Thaïlande: plus de 90 blessés dans des heurts à Bangkok
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: BANGKOK | Plus de 90 personnes - soldats, policiers ou manifestants - ont été blessés samedi lors de heurts entre les forces de l'ordre et les "chemises rouges" qui réclament la démission du gouvernement d'Abhisit Vejjajiva, a-t-on appris auprès des autorités sanitaires.

Plus de 90 personnes - soldats, policiers ou manifestants - ont été blessés samedi lors de heurts entre les forces de l'ordre et les "chemises rouges" qui réclament la démission du gouvernement d'Abhisit Vejjajiva, a-t-on appris auprès des autorités sanitaires.

"A 16h40 (09h40 GMT), nous avons comptabilisé 93 blessés dans les heurts, dont 71 civils, 19 soldats, trois policiers", a indiqué un responsable du centre des urgences de Bangkok. >>> AFP | Samedi 10 Avril 2010