Thai PM pledges flood relief as fight for Bangkok goes on

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra pledged more than US$4 billion (RM12.47 billion) today to help Thailand recover from the worst floods in half a century, as workers slowed the flow of water threatening the commercial heart of the capital, Bangkok.

Evacuation orders have spread to a third of Bangkok’s districts, mostly in the north of the densely populated city of 12 million people, since late October, as floodwater strewn with trash slowly seeps in from northern and northeastern provinces.








Yingluck, a political novice elected this year, said about US$3.9 billion had been set aside for a flood recovery effort, a figure that rises to US$4.2 billion when local government funds are added.

On the streets of Bangkok, few see an end to the slow-moving disaster that began after tropical storm Nock-ten battered Southeast Asia in late July. Since then, at least 529 people have been killed, many electrocuted or drowned, in floods that have affected 63 of Thailand’s 77 provinces.

Some hard-hit regions have started to recover since the end of the August-to-October monsoon season, with only 24 provinces now classified as flooded. But for low-lying Bangkok, the disaster is far from over, as the authorities struggle to keep inner-city neighbourhoods and business districts dry.

“I’m concerned about more water reaching Bangkok and I just want to know when it will recede. It’s rising and it should recede but when will that be?” said Bangkok resident, Nee Jiranantawat, 53.

Others said they feared they may run low on food and other supplies, especially in homes flooded in waist-high water.

Nikom Teo-au, a 56-year-old garage owner, said he was facing difficulty delivering food to his family at his home on a street under up to 1.5 metres of water in Bangkok’s Din Daeng neighbourhood, just 7km from the main Silom business district where buildings are ringed with sand bags.

Yingluck, a 46-year-old former businesswoman and sister of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said the money would ease the suffering of victims and repair damaged infrastructure.

She spoke at a special session of parliament called to debate the flooding and her management of the crisis a day after announcing she had pulled out of a weekend summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in Hawaii to concentrate on relief work.

ECONOMIC TOLL

The toll on Thailand’s economy and hundreds of global manufacturers who rely on its low-cost factories keeps rising.

The central bank has slashed its economic growth forecast for this year to 2.6 per cent from 4.1 per cent, citing the repercussions of floods which forced seven big industrial estates to close in central provinces in October.

The economic impact will be even worse if Bangkok, which accounts for 41 per cent of gross domestic product, is overrun.

Workers and soldiers are trying to hold the line at the city’s Bang Sue canal, pushing water into the Chao Phraya river and stopping it from overflowing to the south. Reporters in the area said they had mostly achieved this so far.

Even so, with each week, the water has slowly drawn closer to the business district and the Ratchaprasong intersection, whose swanky shopping malls and five-star hotels were closed for weeks by political protests in April-May last year.

The major north-south Ratchadaphisek and Viphavadi-Rangsit roads were flooded in the vicinity of the Bang Sue canal. A reporter said the area was under 60cm of dark, foul-smelling water in places, with trash on the surface.

Chatuchak market, whose 11,000 stalls are a draw for tourists and residents alike, opened last weekend but was now submerged, with vendors’ carts and tables washed away and stray dogs taking refuge on the rooftops, the reporter said.

Barefoot soldiers were ushering people from the elevated Skytrain – still working across the capital, like the MRT underground railway – onto buses crammed with passengers.

In the east of the capital, floodwater still threatened two big industrial estates, Bang Chan with 93 factories including Nestle SA and Lat Krabang with 254 including Unilever Pcl and Honda Motor Co .

“The water level situation in Beung Kratiem on the north side of Bang Chan Industrial Estate is still a concern. Even with the water pumps there, water keeps rising,” said Thanes Weerasiri, secretary-general of the Engineering Institute of Thailand.

“The water level has risen by 3cm from yesterday,” he said, adding that efforts to divert the water into a major canal nearby had been stepped up. Channel 3 television said water had got into one factory compound.

However, the situation inside the Lat Krabang Industrial Estate was still normal.

The estates are about 10km north of Bangkok’s main Suvarnabhumi airport, which is functioning normally inside a reinforced dike at least 3 metres high.

The Chao Phraya river snaking through Bangkok has another phase of high tides from Thursday to Monday and riverside communities are braced for floods, especially on the relatively dry east bank, although a navy official said the river should not reach the record high levels seen at the end of October.

Thursday sees the Loy Krathong festival, when Thais like to float offerings of food, flowers and candles on rivers and lakes, a symbolic pushing away of bad feelings and bad luck.

But Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra has cancelled a big event on the fast-flowing river scheduled for Thursday and urged people not to float their offerings in flooded areas. They would add to the tonnes of rubbish lying in sodden piles in the streets, he said, and the candles were a fire hazard.

As Floods Drag on in Thailand, Displaced Grow Restless

As Floods Drag on in Thailand, Displaced Grow Restless Ron Corben | Bangkok In Thailand, local aid groups are calling on authorities to better manage and support local communities that are struggling to cope after spending weeks under ...

Thai flood frustration grows, Cabinet eyes recovery

Airplanes are reflected in flood waters in Bangkok’s domestic Don Muang airport at dawn on November 1, 2011. Nearly 400 people have been killed in months of floods that have disrupted the lives of more than 2 million. Don Muang, used by budget airlines for domestic flights and by private planes, has been closed since Oct. 25.


Anger mounted among victims of Thailand’s catastrophic floods today as water flooded new neighbourhoods as it made its way to sea and the government plotted a recovery aimed at securing the long-term confidence of investors.

The floods began in July and have devastated large parts of the central Chao Phraya river basin, killed nearly 400 people and disrupted the lives of more than 2 million.

Inner Bangkok, protected by a network of dikes and sandbag walls, survived peak tides on the weekend and remains mostly dry.




But large volumes of water are sliding across the land to the north, east and west of the city, diverted by the city centre’s defences into new suburbs as it recedes in others.

In one northeastern city neighbourhood angry residents have been demanding the opening of a sluice gate to let water out of their flooded community.

Residents jostled with police yesterday and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra ordered that the gate be opened by one metre (three feet).

But city authorities have warned that the flow through the sluice gate could move via a canal into large parts of the city which are now dry, including an industrial estate.

“We are opposed to it but the government has ordered the BMA to open the gate, so more water will come,” said Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) spokesman Jate Sopitpongstorn.

“It could reach the Bang Chan industrial estate. We have to see the consequences,” he told Reuters.

Yingluck’s government and the Bangkok authority represent opposing factions in Thailand’s strife-plagued politics.

The disaster has been the first big test for the government of Yingluck, a political novice who took over this year after an election that many Thais hoped would heal deep divisions.

Saving Bangkok from a ruinous flood would be an important victory. The city’s 12 million people account for 41 per cent of Thailand’s gross domestic product.

MISERY

But prolonged misery in outlying areas and heavily flooded provinces to the north would take the gloss off that victory, especially given a perception that those areas have been sacrificed to save the centre of the capital.

To the north of Bangkok, Pathum Thani and Ayutthaya provinces have been largely inundated for weeks, along with seven industrial estates that have sprung up over the last two decades on what used to be the central plain’s rice fields.

Yingluck, holding a Cabinet meeting today to work out a recovery plan, said the previous day it should take three months to rehabilitate the estates.

Thailand is the second-largest exporter of computer hard drives and global prices are rising because of a flood-related shortage of major components used in personal computers.

Thailand is also Southeast Asia’s main auto-parts maker and Japan’s Honda Motor Co said car production could be difficult in the second half of its business year ending in March. Its Ayutthaya plant has suspended work indefinitely.

Yingluck said she had assured Japanese investors of steps to prevent a repeat of disaster from the annual rainy season.

The Cabinet is discussing a recovery plan that Energy Minister Pichai Naripthaphan said would cost up to 900 billion baht (RM89.88 billion), including 800 billion baht for an overhaul of the water-management system and 100 billion for the rehabilitation of industrial estates.

The Bank of Thailand has nearly halved its projection of economic growth this year to 2.6 per cent from July’s 4.1 per cent estimate, and said the economy — Southeast Asia’s second largest — would shrink by 1.9 per cent in the December quarter from the previous three months due to the floods.

The floods submerged four million acres (1.6 million ha), an area roughly the size of Kuwait, and destroyed 25 per cent of the main rice crop in the world’s largest rice exporter.

The deluge was caused in part by unusually heavy monsoon rain falling on a low-lying region, but the weather has been largely clear for a week as the cooler dry season begins.

Deadly Thai floods close factories, threaten Bangkok

Nearly 200 factories, including one run by Japanese car maker Honda Motor Co Ltd , closed in the central Thai province of Ayutthaya because of flooding, which could threaten Bangkok this week, officials said today.

About 261 people have died since late July in flood-related incidents, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said. Some 2.3 million people have been affected in the worst flooding to hit parts of Thailand in 50 years, mainly in the centre, north and northeast.

The Rojana estate in Ayutthaya province, run by Rojana Industrial Park Pcl , was flooded after a wall of sandbags failed to hold back water overnight.




“All 198 factories at Rojana have to be closed because the water is about 5.1 metres high,” Industry Minister Wannarat Channukul told Reuters.

A Honda spokeswoman said it had moved about 3,000 assembled cars from the estate to other areas. Hana Microelectronics Pcl has also had to close its plant in Ayutthaya.

On Thursday the Centre for Economic and Business Forecasting, part of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, cut its forecast for gross domestic product (GDP) growth this year to 3.6 per cent from 4.4 per cent because of the floods.

It put the impact of the flooding at between 1.0 and 1.3 percentage points of GDP and said its new growth forecast would have been lower but for recent strength in exports.

The commerce ministry said on Friday it had slashed its forecast for the main rice crop, which farmers are just starting to bring in, to 21 million tonnes from 25 million because of the flooding.

Thailand is the world’s biggest rice exporter. The crop damage will add to the pressure on export prices, already being forced up by the high buying price set under a government intervention scheme aimed at helping poor farmers.

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said in a statement the authorities were preparing an evacuation plan to move people from affected areas if floods hit the capital, much of which is just two metres above sea level.

Some riverside areas have already suffered minor flooding but the level of the Chao Phraya River could rise sharply from October 15-18 when a large amount of water will reach the area from the north, where dams are close to overflowing, at a time of high sea tides.

The government was trying to accelerate the drainage of water from the Chao Phraya into the sea before the high tide.

Other Southeast Asian countries have suffered serious flooding in recent weeks because of heavy monsoon rains combined with tropical storms.

The death toll from two strong typhoons that cut across the north of the Philippines’ main island and left behind widespread flooding had risen to 101 as of today, the national disaster agency said.

At least 167 people had died in Cambodia by late last week and 15 in Vietnam.

Thousands of Thai ‘red shirts’ commemorate Bangkok unrest

Thai anti-government "red shirt" protesters gather during a rally at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok's old quarter, April 10, 2011, to mark the one-year anniversary of a violent confrontation with the military in which 26 people were killed and more than 800 wounded.

Anti-government “red shirt” protesters hold pictures of people who died, including Reuters television cameraman Hiro Muramoto (right) and Italian freelance photographer Fabio Polenghi (second right) during a religious ceremony near the Democracy Monument.

Thousands of red-shirted, anti-government protesters gathered today in Bangkok’s old quarter to mark the one-year anniversary of violent clashes with the military in which 26 people were killed and more than 800 wounded.

“We are mourning the loss of innocent lives a year ago,” said protest leader Nattawut Saikua. “We are remembering the violence against Thai people last year. We are asking for justice.”

No one has been declared responsible for the violence that began on April 10 last year when soldiers fought with thousands of protesters near the Phan Fah bridge and Rajdumnoen Road in Bangkok, near government buildings and the regional UN headquarters.

The red-shirted supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a graft-convicted populist billionaire ousted in a 2006 coup, said they would continue to hold protests until the government took responsibility for the violence.

Five soldiers and 21 civilians were killed, including Reuters television cameraman Hiro Muramoto, a 43-year-old Japanese national, on April 10 last year.

Witnesses reported seeing flashes of gunfire from troops but the government blamed civilian deaths on shadowy, unidentified black-clad gunmen who were filmed in the area.








“Today we pay tribute to Hiro’s life but remain discouraged that the circumstances of his death are still unknown a year later,” said Stephen Adler, Reuters editor-in-chief. “Hiro’s family and Reuters colleagues deserve to know how this tragedy occurred and who was behind it.”

Police concluded on March 24 they had no evidence to indicate troops killed Muramoto, a reversal of preliminary findings by Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation (DSI) that a soldier may have fired the fatal bullet.

Seeking justice

Authorities expect about 75,000 red shirts to gather until well past midnight, a turnout that would be the largest since unrest over April and May last year killed 91 people, wounded more than 1,800 and sparked widespread arson in Bangkok.

About 20,000 had assembled by early evening.

“I was here last year,” said one protester, 38-year-old electrician Samart Ngamwongyai. “I never thought I would see this kind of cruelty in Thailand. I came back today because no one has been put in jail for it.”

Streets were festooned with banners bearing red-shirt slogans such as “fight for democracy” or “truth today”. One read: “You can’t kill us all”. Another said: “If Democracy wins in Tunisia and Egypt, we can win here”.

“We are here to pay tribute to our heroes in heaven,” Payap Panket, a red shirt leader, said on stage to loud cheers. “Rest in peace. You helped us move one step closer to democracy. We will carry on your fight. Please clap until heaven can hear us.”

One person wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the red dot of the Japanese flag, his face painted white with the name “Hiroyuki” written across his forehead in black. He held a placard reading “Who killed Hiroyuki?”, one of several references and tributes to the slain Reuters cameraman.

About 2,100 police were deployed to the area.

“They can gather as long as they want as long as it’s within the law and it doesn’t infringe on others’ rights,” Deputy Commander of Bangkok Metropolitan Police, Major General Amnuay Nimmano, told Reuters.

The mostly rural and urban poor United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, or the red shirts, took to the streets on March 12 last year demanding elections in festive rallies that descended into violence on April 10.

On that night, soldiers failed repeatedly in attempts to dislodge the protesters from the area, at first firing tear gas and rubber bullets before coming under attack with grenades and responding with live ammunition.

The government said soldiers used live fire only in self-defence and denied soldiers were responsible for any deaths or injuries.

Relatives of some of the dead and wounded have filed civil lawsuits against three state agencies. The government has also faced intense diplomatic pressure from Japan to identify who fired the bullet that killed Muramoto.

The red shirts accuse Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of lacking a popular mandate and coming to power illegitimately, heading a coalition the military cobbled together after courts dissolved a pro-Thaksin party that led the previous government.

Abhisit, backed by the royalist establishment, says he was voted into office by the same parliament that picked his Thaksin-allied predecessors. His party plans to hold an election around the middle of this year.

The election is expected to be close between Abhisit’s ruling Democrats and the red shirts’ parliamentary allies, the Puea Thai Party, and the outcome could be rejected by supporters of either party, fuelling more instability.

Mass rally by Thai Red Shirts this Saturday

Come Saturday, Red Shirts anti-government protesters will hold a peaceful mass rally in this capital to commemorate its one-year anniversary of street protests.

The United Front for Democracy against Dictactorship (UDD) leader Jatuporn Prompan said the rally would begin at 3pm at the Democracy Monument.

He said former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra would speak via video conferencing at the rally.

“Red Shirts leaders who faced terrorism charges and released on bail recently, will also join the rally,” he said.

Red Shirts began their street protests in the capital on March 12, last year, in demanding the dissolution of Parliament.




However, the initial peaceful demonstration ended with unrest in May 19, last year when protesters and troops clashed, leaving 91 people dead and more than 1,800 people injured.

The Yellow Shirts protesters led by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) has been encamping near the Prime Minister’s Office here since January 25, in pressuring the government to take stern stand in dealing with the Thai-Cambodian border issue.

Thailand to further probe killing of Reuters journalist

Thai investigators said today they were still trying to establish who killed Reuters cameraman Hiro Muramoto last year after reversing preliminary findings that a soldier probably fired the fatal bullet.

Muramoto (picture), a 43-year-old Japanese national, was killed by a high-velocity bullet wound to the chest while covering clashes between anti-government “red shirt” protesters and troops in Bangkok’s old quarter on April 10 last year.





Witness accounts in a preliminary state investigation said he was shot from the direction of troops, but authorities now say the type of bullet was inconsistent with those used by soldiers.

Thai investigators have concluded the fatal bullet was of 7.62 mm calibre and that soldiers were armed with M-16 rifles that fire 5.56 mm bullets, the director-general of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), Tharit Pengdit, told a news conference.

“The bullet that shot Muramoto was 7.62 mm not M-16 that was used by the authorities,” Tharit said. “It could be an AK-47 or something similar ... but exactly who shot him I can’t answer at this point. We need more investigation.”

Television footage showed troops opening fire in the direction of hundreds of protesters, while soldiers came under attack from grenades. Mysterious black-clad gunmen were filmed moving among the demonstrators.

“Of course, the bullet came from the direction of the troops, but we don’t know who fired it because the troops were also surrounded by red-shirt protesters,” said Tharit of the bullet that killed Muramoto.

A preliminary version of the DSI report seen by Reuters in December quoted a witness as saying he saw “a flash from a gun barrel of a soldier”, then watched Muramoto fall after he was shot in the chest while filming the troops.

The DSI also acknowledged on November 16 a soldier may have fired the fatal shot, but said it was too early to conclude the case. The DSI’s report was sent to police for further investigation.

“The apparent contradiction between the preliminary investigation and these reports makes full transparency about the process and the findings imperative,” said Stephen J. Adler, Editor-in-Chief of Reuters News.

Tharit defended the DSI’s investigation. “The reason we submitted a finding earlier to police that Muramoto was likely shot by a soldier was because that was what the witness said. The witness also didn’t see where the bullet was exactly shot from.”

The latest DSI statement will likely rekindle debate over how exactly Muramoto was killed and the identity of mysterious black-clad gunmen filmed moving among the demonstrators or firing from above in sniper positions on the night the journalist died.

It also raises questions over the weapons used by the soldiers. Army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said troops deployed in Bangkok on April 10 were armed with US-made M-16 and Israeli-made Tavor rifles, but red shirt witnesses reported the presence of other types of weapons.

A law firm representing the red shirts and their figurehead, fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, issued a report on January 31 quoting from an unspecified number of unidentified officers in Thailand’s military who said the black-clad gunmen were members of the military.

The government says the shadowy gunmen were terrorists who were allied with the red shirts and responsible for most of the deaths during the clashes.

The Bangkok Post yesterday said “the army chief of staff paid the DSI head a visit to complain about an initial department finding” that blamed soldiers for the journalist’s death.

At least 91 people were killed in violence last April and May in Bangkok after the red shirt protesters occupied parts of the capital, and more than 1,800 were wounded. The military fought street battles with gunmen among the red shirts during the crisis, turning parts of central Bangkok into combat zones.

The military has repeatedly insisted that soldiers were not responsible for any of the deaths and injuries during the violence, a claim most independent observers consider implausible.

Thailand will hold vote before June, says DPM

Abhisit’s term expires at the end of this year

Thailand will hold elections before June, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban said today, providing first test of support for the government since it came to power three years ago in the polarised country.

“I can guarantee it will be before June because the prime minister has made that clear,” Suthep told reporters. “We will fix problems of rising prices and dissolve (parliament).”



Although Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s term expires at the end of this year, the British-born, Oxford University-educated premier has been coy about the timing of an election.

Last week , he said elections could be held by June but would not commit fully, saying Thailand needs to be stable for any poll takes place.

Couples lock lips for record in Thai kiss marathon

Felix Werth and Urairat Ooutaboon in their bid to break the world record for the longest kiss


A kiss is still a kiss — even if it goes on for over a day.

Fourteen couples from across Thailand gathered at Pattaya beach resort to try and break the world record for kissing, attempting to spend more than 32 hours locked lip-to-lip.

The marathon kicked off at 6am yesterday (2300 GMT), with each couple given a space of one square metre in which they had to spend the time kissing, without leaving except for bathroom breaks.

Any break in the lip lock resulted in disqualification.



Besides the world record, couples were aiming for a diamond ring worth 50,000 baht (RM4,860) and a 100,000-baht cash prize.

Participants took part to show their love and mark Valentine’s Day, although kissing in public is unusual in Thailand.

“I’m just taking part for fun, and I’m looking forward to kissing for a long time,” said Felix Werth, a 32-year-old German participating with his Thai girlfriend, 21-year-old Urairat Ooutaboon.

During the event, couples were not allowed to sit, sleep or leave the venue. They also had to continue kissing while using the toilet, with staff accompanying them to verify the fact.

Within the limits, though, organisers did what they could to make the couples comfortable. Werth and Urairat, for example, had a 33-centimetre height difference, and a box was provided for her to stand on.

Food and drink could only be taken through straws, again with lips locked. “I just want to show my love to my boyfriend and everybody who is in love on Valentine’s Day,” said 31-year-old Nonthawat Charoenkesornsin before the event began.

When the whistle blew, couples started kissing. The previous record of 32 hours, 7 minutes and 14 seconds was set in Germany.

“These couples, who joined the longest kissing world record, are people who are in love,” said organiser Somporn Narksuetrong.

“They want to be part of history by entering this competition to show their love.”

But while the spirit was willing, the flesh was weak, with couples starting to drop out as time went on.

One woman fainted after just 34 minutes. Others left after a few hours.

“I could not make it anymore because my neck is hurting,” said Amporn Ketmao.

The event is due to continue until this afternoon.

Thailand and Cambodia face diplomatic pressure to end dispute

A Cambodian soldier poses for a picture as his unit takes up position near the 11th-century Preah Vihear temple on the border between Thailand and Cambodia February 8, 2011.


Thailand and Cambodia faced growing diplomatic pressure today to end an armed standoff on a stretch of border surrounding a 900-year-old clifftop temple as guns held silent for a second day.

Reuters witnesses said about 20 Thai tanks were sent to a military camp in Kantaralak district in Thailand’s Sri Sa Ket province close to the disputed border, but Thai army officials said they were not reinforcing troops in the area.






Thailand and Cambodia blame each other for provoking intense exchanges of fire that killed at least three Thais and eight Cambodians since Friday. At least 34 Thais and 55 Cambodians were wounded, according to official statements from both sides.

Diplomats at the UN Security Council said it was possible the 15-nation body would discuss the issue next week after Washington, China and Southeast Asia’s ASEAN regional grouping issued statements urging both sides to show restraint.

Bilateral talks could take place in New York, possibly on Monday when Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya is to brief the Security Council, said his spokesman, Thani Thongpakdi. His Cambodian counterpart, Hor Namhong, is also due in New York.

“There is a possibility that the two will meet on the sidelines,” said Thani, adding that this year’s Association of South East Asian Nations chair, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, will also be in New York.

Thailand and Cambodia are both members of ASEAN, which plans to form a European-style single market by 2015 and has urged bilateral talks to end the fiercest fighting on the disputed border since the early 1990s, when Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge forces operated in the area.

At the border, Thai and Cambodian soldiers held fire for a second day after a clash on Friday set off four days of fighting in the 4.6-square-km (2-square-mile) contested area around the Preah Vihear temple claimed by the Southeast Asian neighbors.

“The situation remains calm but what happens next depends on the Thai troops,” Chea Dara, deputy commander of the Cambodian army, told Reuters.

MORE THAI TANKS

Cambodian troops continued to dig trenches around the temple.

Three Cambodian soldiers interviewed by Reuters on Wednesday said the number of Cambodians killed is likely higher than the government has indicated. They declined to be identified by name because they were not authorised to comment.

“There are many more deaths and injuries. People would be shocked,” said one of the soldiers, adding that his deputy commander was killed in a clash on Sunday when a Thai shell hit the area near their unit.

Their statements could not be immediately confirmed by the Cambodian government.

In Cambodia’s northern frontier areas, schools and temples have been turned into makeshift refugee centres.

Reasons behind the fighting remain unclear. Some analysts say hawkish Thai generals and nationalist allies may be trying to topple Thailand’s government or create a pretext to stage another coup and cancel elections expected this year.

Others say it may be a breakdown in communication channels at a time of strained relations over Cambodia’s flying of a national flag in the disputed area and laying of a stone tablet inscribed with “This is Cambodia.”

The temple, known as Preah Vihear, or “Mountain of the Sacred Temple,” in Cambodia and Khao Phra Viharn in Thailand, sits on a triangular plateau that forms a natural border.

Both sides have been locked in a standoff since July 2008, when Preah Vihear was granted UNESCO World Heritage status, which Thailand opposed on grounds that territory around the temple had never been demarcated.

The International Court of Justice in 1962 awarded the temple to Cambodia, which uses a century-old French map as the basis for its territorial claims, but the ruling failed to determine ownership of the scrub next to it.

Leaked cables shed light on Thai succession risks

 58-year-old Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn

Confidential US Embassy cables released by WikiLeaks have shed unprecedented light on the biggest political risk faced by investors in Thailand — the prospect of a royal succession intensifying social conflict.

Strict lese-majeste laws make it hard for investors to make informed predictions, but the issue of succession looms large at a time of deepening tension in Thailand following the worst political violence in its modern history over April and May.

While 83-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-serving monarch, commands supreme moral authority in Thailand, the leaked cables show doubts among key royal advisers about the suitability of his son and heir, 58-year-old Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn (picture).






General Prem Tinsulanonda, the head of the privy council and a former prime minister, Anand Panyarachun, another former prime minister, and privy councillor Siddhi Savetsila all expressed concern about the prince as the likely heir in private conversations, according to a leaked cable written by former US Ambassador to Thailand Eric John.

“All three had quite negative comments about Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn,” John wrote in a memo dated January 25, 2010, and posted on the Guardian newspaper’s website on Thursday.

There has been no public comment by those quoted in the leaked cable on whether the comments attributed to them are genuine.

“We’re not in a position to comment on the authenticity and accuracy of these documents because they did not originate from us,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdihe.

Although talk of the Thai monarchy’s role and possible problems on the horizon are taboo and illegal, the topic is followed closely in Thailand’s financial markets, which fell briefly last year on concerns over the King’s health.

Siddhi, an Air Chief Marshall, acknowledged that “succession would be a difficult transition time for Thailand”, the US ambassador said in the memo.

“While asserting that the Crown Prince will become King, both Siddhi and Anand implied the country would be better off if other arrangements could be made. Siddhi expressed preference for Princess Sirindhorn,” John wrote.

Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is highly respected by Thais, while there is widespread disapproval of the prince’s lifestyle.

“Anand suggested only the King would be in a position to change succession, and acknowledged a low likelihood of that happening.”

Analysts say privately that there could be a prolonged period of turmoil and even civil unrest if the succession does not go smoothly.

“It’s the big issue, there is no doubt about it, and it comes up often in private discussions with our clients but it is not something to be aired in public,” said a Singapore-based regional analyst at an international investment bank, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject.

Another major bank said in a report that succession worries impose a political risk discount on Thai assets.

Thailand’s financial markets are among the world’s strongest this year. Stock prices are up more than 40 per cent and the Thai baht is trading at 13-year highs, making Thailand among several emerging markets vulnerable to a correction.

The prince and Thanksin

Prem, widely believed to have helped orchestrate a 2006 bloodless coup that ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said over lunch with John that the prince probably maintained “some sort of relationship” with Thaksin, a divisive figure reviled by Thailand’s establishment.

Thaksin, a telecommunications tycoon particularly popular among Thailand’s poor, was convicted in absentia on corruption-related charges and lives abroad to avoid jail.

He is a figurehead of the red-shirted anti-government protest movement whose supporters clashed with authorities in April and May during nine weeks of protests in which at least 91 people were killed and more than 1,800 wounded.

But Prem doubted the prince would come to Thaksin’s support in the future.

“He does not enjoy that sort of relationship,” he was quoted as saying in the leaked January 2010 cable.

Suggestions of ties between Thaksin and the prince are contentious. Thaksin’s supporters have repeatedly clashed with the royalist military, now led by a general known to have the backing of Queen Sirikit. Thaksin and his allies have been accused of republicanism, which they deny.

The queen and the coup

A separate US cable released this week quoted late former Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej as saying the Queen had encouraged the 2006 coup that toppled Thaksin and plunged Thailand into its current political crisis.

As a constitutional monarchy, the palace is officially above politics, but Samak said the Queen was supporting street protests against his government, dominated by a pro-Thaksin party.

Samak, premier for seven months in 2008, “showed disdain for Queen Sirikit, claiming that she had been responsible for the 2006 coup d’etat...”, the US ambassador said.

“Samak viewed himself as loyal to the King, but implied that the Queen’s political agenda differened (sic) from her husband’s,” he added in the cable.

In another cable, a palace insider told the US ambassador the “yellow shirt” protests against Samak’s government and the occupation of his offices had “irritated” the king, who explicitly told the army chief not to launch a coup.

The November 2008 cable described the Queen’s attendance at the October 13, 2008, funeral of a yellow-shirt protester killed during a demonstration as a “significant blunder” that jeopardised the public’s perception of palace neutrality.

Such candour on the monarchy is a rarity in Thailand.

Siddhi noted “that something as simple as excessive motorcade-related traffic jams caused by minor royals was an unnecessary but enduring irritant,” the US ambassador wrote.

The king was admitted to hospital on September 19, 2009, and has been undergoing physical rehabilitation. Some palace insiders say he may be released soon, possibly on Sunday.

Rare white elephant found in Burma hailed as positive sign for elections

The discovery of a rare white elephant in Burma has been hailed as a positive sign for upcoming elections.

The 7ft1in animal was found in Rakhine state in the north-west of the country on Thursday.

It is only the fifth white elephant caught in a decade, according to the New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

The elephant is estimated to be 18 years old. Its discovery comes ahead of the first election in two decades in the military-ruled country.

'It is auspicious that a rare white elephant emerged at a time when Myanmar was going through a democratic transition and the elections will be held peacefully and successfully,' the newspaper said.

White elephants, actually albinos, have for centuries been revered in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and other Asian nations.

They were normally kept and pampered by monarchs and considered a symbol of royal power and prosperity. Myanmar's military rulers, like many of the country's citizens, are said to be particularly superstitious.

The November 7 general elections will be the first in 20 years.

The National League for Democracy party of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi won the last polls but was not allowed to take power by the military.

It is boycotting this year's vote, charging that the election rules are unfair and undemocratic.

The New Light of Myanmar said the elephant's capture will ensure that peace, stability and prosperity will continue under the new elected government.

It said that white elephants only emerge in places where the practice of Buddhism flourishes and rulers govern justly.

It said that according to ancient treatises, it is hard to find even a single white elephant among a thousand, but five of the rare beasts have emerged from 2001 to 2010, and the latest discovery is a matter of 'national pride'.

The country's fourth white elephant, a 38-year-old female captured in the jungles of Rakhine state in June, was given a lavish welcome ceremony when it was taken to the administrative capital of Naypyitaw.

It was housed in an enclosure near the Upptasanti pagoda, a replica of the famed Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon, the former capital and biggest city in Myanmar.

Three other white elephants caught earlier are kept in a special park in Yangon, where they live in an enclosure with spiralled pavilions, a man-made waterfall, ponds and trees.

Grenade explodes near Thai state TV channel

A grenade exploded in the compound of a Thai state-run broadcaster today but no one was injured, police said, the fourth mysterious blast in five weeks during a state of emergency in Bangkok.

The grenade damaged three vehicles inside the compound close to one of the city’s largest military bases on Viphavadi-Rangsit Road leading to the capital, said police Colonel Paisan Wongwatcharamongkol, citing witnesses.

Authorities suspect the grenade was shot from an M79 launcher positioned on an overhead highway, Paisan said.”Three vehicles were slightly damaged by sharpnel from the explosion.”

Broadcaster NBT, whose compound was hit by the grenade, has faced criticism from “red shirt” anti-government demonstrators, who accuse the channel of biased reporting.





It was the latest in a series of small grenade or bomb attacks across Bangkok since violent clashes between troops red shirt protesters in April and May, in which 91 people were killed and up to 2,000 wounded.

On August 26, a grenade tossed into the headquarters of Thai duty-free giant, King Power Group, wounded a security guard. That occurred on the same street where a bomb exploded a few weeks earlier, seriously wounding a garbage collector.

On July 25, a bomb hidden at a bus stop outside a supermarket killed one man and wounded nine.

The emergency decree, imposed on April 8 after protesters stormed parliament, gives security agencies broad powers to impose curfews, detain suspects without charge, censor media and ban political gatherings of more than five people.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has not identified when emergency rule will be lifted in Bangkok.

Broadcaster NBT was targeted for criticism in 2007 by “yellow shirt” protesters when allies of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra were in power

Three killed, five wounded in restive southern Thailand

Drive-by shootings and suspected Muslim insurgent violence in southern Thailand killed three people and wounded five in the past 24 hours, police said today, the latest unrest in the region bordering Malaysia.

A bomb hidden under a pick-up truck of a security volunteer exploded in Narathiwat province today, wounding three people.

That came a day after a two-year-old Muslim boy was killed in a drive-by shooting while on a motorbike with his father, who was wounded. A Buddhist couple was also shot dead as they drove to a market in Pattani province. And a bomb in southernmost Yala province wounded a pregnant fruit seller.

A soldier stands guard on his vehicle after a bomb attack in Yala province, August 22, 2009.




More than 4,100 people, both Buddhists and Muslims, have been killed in six years of unrest in Thailand’s southernmost provinces as ethnic Malay Muslims fight for autonomy from the country’s Buddhist majority.

Local Muslims largely oppose the presence of tens of thousands of police, soldiers and state-armed Buddhist guards in the rubber-rich region, which was part of a Malay Muslim sultanate until annexed by Thailand a century ago.

About 80 per cent of the three southern provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat are Muslim.

Thaksin quits as Cambodia’s economic adviser

Fugitive former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has resigned as Phnom Penh’s economic adviser, a move that would certainly pave the way for the return of normal ties between Thailand and Cambodia.

Acting government spokesman Dr Panitan Wattanayagorn confirmed today the resignation of Thaksin, and the Thai government had been informed of the latest development.

In an immediate response, Bangkok will reinstate its ambassador to Phnom Penh Prasas Prasasvinitchai tomorrow, according to Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya. Cambodia too was expected to send back its ambassador to Bangkok soon, said Kasit.

News report from Phnom Penh cited “personal difficulties in fulfilling his role completely” as the reason for Thaksin’s resignation.






On Nov 5, 2009, Bangkok recalled its ambassador to Cambodia to protest the appointment of Thaksin (picture) as economic adviser to the Cambodian government by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

In a tit for tat, Phnom Penh too asked its ambassador to Bangkok to return home. Thaksin, who was ousted in a military coup in September 2006, fled Thailand in 2008 just before a court sentenced him to two years in jail for abuse of power in the Ratchadepisek land case.

The Thai-Cambodia relationship was also strained when Phnom Penh refused to extradite Thaksin to Thailand and the move was seen by Bangkok as interference in the internal affairs of Thailand and a denial of the Thai judicial process.

On the three Thai villagers arrested after straying into Cambodian territory recently, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said there was no need to use diplomatic channels to solve the problem as it could be settled through the local authority channels.

The three were arrested by Cambodian soldiers while gathering fruits and hunting in the forest along the border.

Thailand lifts emergency rule in 3 more provinces

Red-shirt protest leader Nattawut Saikua arrives for a hearing at Bangkok Criminal Court August 16,2010, for his role in the protests which led to the emergency rule

Thailand lifted a state of emergency in three provinces today but kept the controversial security law in place in seven others, including Bangkok, where it said the situation remained volatile.

The emergency decree has been in place since April, giving security forces broad power to deal with anti-government protests that spiralled into the worst political violence in modern Thai history and left 91 people dead and nearly 2,000 wounded.

Security and government officials have continually warned of potential unrest in Bangkok and some provinces as reason to keep the decree in place, despite pressure from rights groups, businesses and tour operators to revoke it.




Security and government officials have continually warned of potential unrest in Bangkok and some provinces as reason to keep the decree in place, despite pressure from rights groups, businesses and tour operators to revoke it.

“While there are still rumblings in these provinces, the premier views that existing law is enough to maintain order there,” Panitan Wattanayagorn, deputy secretary-general to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, told Reuters after a cabinet meeting.

The intractable, five-year crisis in Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy has eased off since May 19, when troops engaged in six days of bloody confrontations forcibly dispersed thousands of “red shirt” protesters demanding new elections.

The Thai stock market is up 17 per cent this year at a two-year high, despite large foreign selling during the unrest, while the government and economists have forecast growth of up to 8 percent this year.

Foreign inflows helped lift the baht to a 28-month high last week and consumer confidence rose sharply in July, showing the effects of the political violence were short-lived.

However, reconciliation among powerful groups remains elusive and many Thais expect tensions to resurface in future.

The provinces where the decree were lifted included one in the northeast and two popular tourist destinations in the north, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. Tourism accounts for six percent of Thailand’s economy and employs 1.8 million people directly.

The state of emergency bans political gatherings of more than five people and gives the government powers to impose curfew and censor media and detain suspects without charge for 30 days.

Areas still under emergency rule are three provinces in the northeast, deemed hotbeds of anti-government activism, as well as Bangkok and its surrounding areas, which would allow security forces to block would-be demonstrators from entering the city.

Three shot dead in restive Thai south

Police officers look at the body of a villager in Yala province October 31, 2009.

Three people, among them a policeman, were killed in Thailand’s troubled southern region today in attacks blamed on Muslim separatists, police said.

A man and his wife were shot dead while riding a motorcycle to work in a rubber plantation in Yala, one of the three predominantly ethnic Malay Muslim provinces with a deep history of rebellion to the rule of faraway Bangkok.





In a separate attack in neighbouring Pattani province, a policeman was fatally shot by unknown gunmen while travelling to work. He later died in hospital, police told reporters.

More than 4,000 people have been killed in the last six years in the rubber-rich region bordering Malaysia, which was a Muslim sultanate until annexed in 1909 by Buddhist Thailand, which many locals say has long treated them like second-class citizens.

The shadowy rebels are assumed to be separatists and often target Buddhists and Muslims associated with the Thai state, like police, soldiers, government officials and school teachers.

No credible group has claimed responsibility for the violence, or stated any demands and at least 30,000 troops based in the region have made little inroads towards quelling the unrest or identifying those leading the rebellion

After deadly clashes, Thai opposition regroups

Anti-government protesters lie on the ground during a rally at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok on August 1, 2010.

On a stage in a muddy football field in Thailand’s rural heartlands, an opposition leader declared to thousands he would bring back toppled premier Thaksin Shinawatra from exile if his party is voted back into power.

That vow by Puea Thai Party’s Chalerm Ubumrung signals trouble ahead in a polarising political crisis that turned deadly on the streets of Bangkok in April and May as thousands of “red shirt” supporters of the deposed Thaksin clashed with troops.

Hundreds of red shirts have been detained under emergency rule since the unrest that killed 91 people, mostly protesters, and wounded nearly 2,000. Several opposition websites, radio stations and a TV broadcaster were shut. Red-shirt bank accounts have been frozen. Protest leaders face terrorism charges.

Emergency rule has helped to restore order in Bangkok and many areas. But in the rice-growing farmlands of Si Sa Ket bordering Cambodia and other provinces where the decree has been lifted, Thailand’s political opposition is regrouping.






The fiery rhetoric at the recent campaign stop in Si Sa Ket, 600km northeast of Bangkok, illustrates how issues that exploded into violence in May remain at the heart of Thailand’s anti-government movement — from charges of class warfare to reverence of populist multimillionaire Thaksin.

They also demonstrate how the anti-government movement is shifting from street-protest tactics to election campaigning, while retaining, at least in the heartlands, one of their most controversial goals: the return of the twice-elected Thaksin.

“If you want everyone to be treated the same way under the eye of the law, vote Puea Thai! If you want to see democracy and equality, vote Puea Thai! If you want Thaksin back, vote Puea Thai!,” Chalerm told cheering supporters.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has said elections could be held early next year if the political situation is stable. His Democrat Party hopes heavy government spending and economic stimulus packages will lift its popularity.

“If we win back power through yet another election, what are they going to do? What trick do they have in the hat this time?” Chalerm told Reuters on the sideline of the campaign.

He was referring to a coup that ousted twice-elected Thaksin in 2006 and several court rulings which toppled two prime ministers and disbanded two parties allied with him, paving the way for Abhisit’s rise in 2008 with tacit military backing.

Puea Thai said it is confident it could win back at least 255 in the 480-seat lower house, enough to form a single-party government. But analysts say the election is likely to be contentious and winning a landslide would be difficult.

“While people’s voting pattern won’t change, horse-trading of parliamentarians will be key in determining who forms the government,” said Karn Yuenyong, an analyst at the independent Siam Intelligence Unit.

A 32-seat Bhumjai Thai Party, allied with the government, is poised to win 50-60 seats in the next poll after defections from several parties. It campaigns on a royalist platform, accusing Thaksin of habouring a republican agenda, a taboo in Thailand.

But convincing the rural voters to reject Thaksin’s allies won’t be easy.

Puea Thai is campaigning on Thaksin’s populist platforms such cheap loans and universal healthcare. The ruling Democrats have adopted similar measures but the opposition can win by tapping public discontent about the status quo in the power structure.

That sums up their main selling point: the rehabilitation of the controversial and divisive Thaksin and the promise to end what the red shirt protesters view as “double standards” in law enforcement and the dominance of the ruling elite in politics.

“I will vote for them no matter what, because they will bring back Thaksin,” said Metha Panchaisi, a 55-year-old rice farmer, who attended the rally.

“I want to see how they will discard our votes this time. Another coup? Another court ruling? What now?”

Thai PM extends curfew; no polls until unrest over-Cleanup start in city.

Thai school children and locals wash and sweep a road during a cleanup operation after Wednesday's Thai army assult on anti-government protesters in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, May 23, 2010. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months.


Thai school children and locals wash and sweep a road during a cleanup operation after Wednesday's Thai army assault on anti-government protesters in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, May 23, 2010. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months.


Debris waits for collection at the former anti-government rally site Sunday, May 23, 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands gathered in the former anti-government held areas to begin the massive clean following the worst political violence in decades that culminated in a military crackdown that sparked a rampage by supporters. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months.


A girl gives roses to a Thai army soldier as a mark of appreciation during a clean up drive after Thai military crackdown on anti-government protesters on Wednesday in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, May 23, 2010. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months


Thai women talk to Thai army soldiers carrying roses during a clean up drive following Wednesday's military crackdown on anti-government protesters in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, May 23, 2010. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months


A girl gives roses to Thai army soldiers as a mark of appreciation during a clean up drive after Thai military crackdown on anti-government protesters on Wednesday in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, May 23, 2010. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months


A Thai person looks on as school children participate in a clean up drive Sunday, May 23, 2010 after Thai army assault on anti-government protesters on Wednesday in downtown Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades.


Thai school children clean a statue of an elephant during a cleanup operation Sunday, May 23, 2010 after Thai army crack down on anti-government protesters on Wednesday in downtown Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands gathered in the Thai capital to begin the massive clean up following the worst political violence in decades.


Thailand's prime minister on Sunday extended a nighttime curfew in the capital and said he will consider early elections only after the violence that has wracked the nation for the past two months is completely over.

Elections are seen as a key step toward healing the deep divide that has split Thailand between supporters of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and the so-called Red Shirts, who are made up mainly of the urban and rural poor and see Abhisit's government as elitist and illegitimate.


Debris waits for collection at the former anti-government rally site Sunday, May 23, 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands gathered in former anti-government held areas to begin a massive clean operation following the worst political violence in decades that culminated in a military crackdown that sparked a rampage by supporters. Officials said at least 85 people were killed in the political violence of the past two months

The rift with the Red Shirts, who have strong support in the country's north and northeast, came to a crescendo of violence after they occupied the heart of Bangkok, sparking a military crackdown that ended in a rampage of grenade attacks and arson at dozens of buildings, including the country's stock exchange and biggest shopping mall.









In all, 85 people were killed in the violence — the worst the Thai capital has seen in decades.

Abhisit said in a weekly address that while he is still willing to call elections before his term expires late next year, he will not do so under the threat of violence.

He accused Red Shirt followers of planning further mayhem, although he stressed the government was in control and the capital has largely returned to normal after a final push by the military to clear the main protest site on Wednesday left 16 dead and more than 100 injured.

"It is now entirely up to me to see when is the most appropriate time to hold the election," Abhisit said. "At the moment, no one can tell when is the best time. We don't know what will happen next."

Hoping to appease the protesters, Abhisit earlier this month offered to hold elections on Nov. 14. But the reconciliation plan fell through when Red Shirt leaders, who want him to resign immediately, made more demands.

All but two of the movement's top leaders are now in custody, although no charges have been filed yet.

Many analysts believe the Red Shirts, who support ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, could cause unrest for years to come. Thaksin lives in exile after his 2006 ouster in a military coup and subsequent conviction on corruption-related charges.

He continues to cast a dark shadow over Thai politics, however.

Abhisit's government took power in December 2008, not through an election but by a vote in Parliament, to fill the power vacuum after disputed court rulings ousted two elected pro-Thaksin governments.

Despite the political upheaval, there were increasing signs that the residents of Bangkok were trying to get back to normal routines.

Thousands of residents mobilized in cleanup squads to clear the streets of mountains of garbage and rubble left by the protests and violence.

"On my way here, I passed a lot of places that were either burned down or damaged. I was in tears," said Ratwipa Saenyo, and 18-year-old student who with a friend was scrubbing stains from a burned billboard at a bus stop.

Schools, government offices and the stock exchange were to reopen Monday, and Abhisit said he will move back to his office from an army base where he had set up a temporary workplace during the unrest. The nighttime curfew, which was imposed on Wednesday, was extended through Monday, albeit for a shorter period, Abhisit said.

Further extensions would be considered on a day-by-day basis.

The city's two main mass transit systems, the Skytrain and the subway, reopened Sunday after a week's closure. But TAN Network, Thailand's English language television, reported that cleaning operations were stopped after troops found 20 homemade bombs near a station.

Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said "generally it has been quiet" in the country, but added that there are "a few reports of people gathering" and sporadic incidents of violence.

He said a British citizen, Jeff Savage, was being questioned by police on suspicion he instigated some of the arson attacks, as reported by the British media.

"He admitted to newspapers that he was present at a few locations. Authorities want to question him under what condition he was there," Panitan told The Associated Press.

The Times of London said Savage, 48, a long-time resident of the Thai beach resort of Pattaya, was caught on video saying he and others were going to burn down the CentralWorld shopping mall.

Savage told The Times he was not involved in the burning, but added it was common knowledge in the Red Shirt camp that CentralWorld would be burned.

10 bodies reported found in Bangkok shopping centre ruins

Anti-government protesters are escorted by Thai police officers after they surrendered to authorities at a Buddhist temple in an area formerly held by anti-government protestors on Thursday

Firefighters sifting through the ruins of the Central World shopping centre in Bangkok found nine bodies in the basement on Friday and police discovered one other, Thai news reports said.

The centre was set ablaze in the wake of an army attack on Wednesday on anti—government protestors camped in the central Ratchaprasong commercial district.

Spring TV News quoted firefighters as saying they discovered nine bodies during an inspection of the remains of the giant shopping complex. The firefighters said they did not know the cause of death of those found and police and soldiers refused to allow reporters into the area.



Earlier on Friday the body of a man was found on the fourth floor of the mall, according to police, after they entered the building in the morning to look for evidence of arson.

The unidentified man was believed to be 25 to 30 years old, police said.

Around 34 other buildings were torched in the aftermath of the army attack at Ratchaprasong, according to government figures.