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BANGKOK - Thousands of Thai troops, firing automatic weapons and tear gas, forced anti-government protesters rampaging across Bangkok to retreat Monday to their main encampment ringing the seat of government. The demonstrators said they were prepared for a “final stand.”

In a major escalation of Thailand’s ongoing turmoil, protesters and combat troops locked in a series of tense confrontations and cat-and-mouse chases for 12 hours. At least 79 people were reported injured. The army spokesman said troops fired blank bullets into the crowds and live shots overhead.

As evening fell, some of the 6,000 troops deployed in Bangkok began moving toward Government House, where the protesters have been holding out since March 26. An estimated 5,000 of the demonstrators were gathered in the Government House area.

“This will be our final stand. I beg that you return here and face them together,” protest leader Jatuporn Phromphan shouted from a platform near the seat of government. “We will use peaceful means and stay right here to end their violence.”

Army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd said troops were narrowing the area of unrest. “It’s going to take time, and we are trying to cause as little loss as possible.”

Hundreds of soldiers and police assembled at the Royal Plaza, about a mile (less than 2 kilometers) from the Government House confronting about 100 female protesters who knelt down and screamed “Please stop, brothers.” Some hugged the soldiers.

“I don’t mind dying right here if it means we become a real democracy. You can kill me right here. I am not here to cause trouble. I just want my rights,” said Tanyawalai Wongsuriyaneth, 46, a female protester returning to join the rally at Government House.

The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, saying his four-month-old government came to power illegally.

Earlier, the protesters were stationed at a half-dozen points in Bangkok, defying government-imposed state-of-emergency measures that ban gatherings of more than five people.

Protesters commandeered public buses to block several key intersections, set tires and vehicles on fire and sent two unmanned buses, one of them burning, hurtling toward lines of soldiers. The bus swerved and then ricocheted off trees on the side of the road before coming to a halt, with no one injured. The other bus also crashed without injuring anyone.

In one of several confrontations, a line of troops in full battle gear fired volleys of M-16 fire, most of it aimed above the heads of protesters and turned water cannons on the crowd near Victory Monument, a major traffic circle.

Armed forces chief Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara said on nationwide television that soldiers would use “every means to end the chaos” but employ weapons only for self-defense and not “excessively.”

In contrast to a complete security breakdown over the weekend, where a 16-nation Asian summit was canceled after demonstrators stormed the venue, security forces began to take action.

“The shots fired into the crowd were blank bullets. The heads are made of paper, so it only causes sound. We use these when protesters head toward soldiers to push them back. Those fired into the air are real bullets,” said Sansern, the army spokesman.

The red-shirted demonstrators are supporters of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and want new elections and Abhisit’s ouster. They accuse the country’s elite _ the military, judiciary and other unelected officials _ of undermining democracy by interfering in politics.

In an interview with CNN on Monday, Thaksin accused the military of lying about firing blank bullets into the crowd, saying soldiers used live ammunition, killed protesters and dragged away their bodies. “They shot people. Many died. Many people were injured,” he said.

“I would like to urge every party that comes together to gather peacefully. War never ended with war,” said Thaksin, who a day earlier phoned-in to a rally of supporters and called for a “revolution.”

Political tensions have simmered since Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in 2006 amid accusations of corruption and abuse of power. He remains popular in the impoverished countryside for his populist policies.

His opponents _ many in urban areas _ took to the streets last year to help bring down two governments led by his allies, seizing Bangkok’s two airports in November for about a week.

Parliament then appointed Abhisit in December after a court ordered the removal of the previous pro-Thaksin government citing fraud in the 2007 elections. Thaksin supporters took to the streets in protest, and their numbers grew to 100,000 in Bangkok last week.

Abhisit appealed Monday to the demonstrators to return to their homes, saying the government was using “the softest measures possible” against them.

“All the work I am doing is not to create fear or put pressure or to harm any group of people. It’s a step by step process to restore order and stop violence,” he said on nationwide television.

Monday’s first and most serious clash began before dawn, as troops in full combat gear advanced to disperse the protesters, who were occupying a major junction, according to witnesses.

At the nearby Century Park Hotel, foreign tourists were seen rushing into taxis and heading for Bangkok’s international airport. But others seemed unruffled.

“We’re from South Africa. We don’t scare easy,” said Estelle Jones, a tourist from Johannesburg.

France, Britain, Australia, the United States, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines were among countries that issued travel advisories Monday, urging citizens to avoid trips to Thailand and for those already in Bangkok to stay in their hotels and away from protests.

The U.S. Embassy issued a warden message urging Americans “to avoid the areas of demonstrations and to exercise caution anywhere in Bangkok.”

Dr. Chatri Charoenchivakul of the Erawan Emergency Coordination Center said at least 70 people were injured, most of them from tear gas, while two soldiers and two civilians suffered from gunshot wounds. Another nine people were injured in clashes elsewhere, he said.

Monday marked the beginning of the Thai New Year, normally the country’s most joyous holiday. The Bangkok municipal government canceled all its festivities, but despite the rioting many Thais and foreign tourists began engaging in the ritualistic water throwing and general partying.

An uneasy calm returned to Bangkok after red-shirt protesters were forcibly dispersed by troops on Monday and retreated to their base in front of Government House, where they said would make a final stand.

The army regained control of all the main road intersections seized by supporters of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) in their attempt to cause traffic chaos and bring down the government.

Police and military sources said soldiers had dispersed the protesters from Victory Monument, Ratchathewi road, Din Daeng intersection and a long stretch of Vibhavadi Rangsit highway from Din Daeng to Lat Phrao intersection.

The debris left by the protesters, which included burned car tyres and torched public buses, would have to be cleared before all roads in these areas were reopened to normal traffic.

At least 30 public buses belonging to the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) were hijacked by the protesters and used to block traffic and slow the advance of the troops.

About 10 were torched as the military moved to break up the protests.

Bus services in the inner city were suspended most of the day as the BMTA feared more would be taken over by UDD followers. Train services out of Hua Lampong station, the city’s major termnal, were also suspended, with provincial servcies leaving from Bang Sue for the North and Northeast and Makkasan for the South. About 20,000 commuters were reported to have been affected.

The dispersed protesters mostly obeyed instructions to regroup at Government House, where several thousand protesters have been camping since March 26, when the followers of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra began their latest push to topple the government.

With the recapture of the city’s major intersections, a nervous peace settled over the capital as night settled in. A minor clash was reported at the army headquarters on Ratchadamnoen road when hardcore protesters lobbed several petrol bombs into the grounds.

Army spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnoed denied claims spread by the red-shirts that a handful of protesters were shot dead by soldiers during the pre-dawn clashes at Din Daeng.

He said troops fired only blanks on that occasion, with wads of paper replacing the bullets. They were not lethal but might cause very minor injury up close.

The government announced about 70 people were injured in the early morning clashes, including 23 soldiers. Most of those treated were suffering the effects of teargas. The prime minister said four soldiers had bullet wounds.

The government, health officials and the military insisted there were no fatalities among the protesters.

Informed sources said troops might try to break up the main protest at Government House before dawn on Tuesday to ensure peace and order was restored in the city before business resumes after the long Sonkran holiday ends on Wednesday night.

Protesters who are not totally committed supporters of the UDD were advised the government to leave the protest site and return to their homes.

The Songkran Festival lasts for several days and is a traditional celebration that welcomes in the Thai New Year. It is one of the biggest and brightest celebrations in Thailand making it a great time to visit the country to participate in this fun and friendly event.

On the first day it is traditional for Thais to clean their house in preparation for the year ahead. The following day is given over to the preparation of food and special meals to be consumed over the coming days. The third day is the start of the Thai New Year.

On the third day, it is marked by religious ceremonies which usually take place early in the morning. Come the afternoon, it’s time for the water fights which rage through the streets during which everybody, including tourists, are targets. The day is celebrated all over the country with various special events and attractions.

A popular town with tourists, Chiang Mai is a great place to soak up the atmosphere of this unique festival. The whole town gets involved in the celebrations with beauty pageants, feasts, parades, ceremonies and, of course, a huge water fight.

For more information :

Tourism Authority of Thailand Northern Office (Tourist Info)
105/1 Chiang Mai-Lamphun Road
Amphoe Mueang
Chiang Mai 50000
Thailand

Tel +66 53 248 604.
Email : tatchmai@tat.or.th

BANGKOK (AFP) - - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Sunday accused fugitive former leader Thaksin Shinawatra of stoking unrest, as protests that have plunged the kingdom into fresh turmoil entered a fourth day.

Thousands of demonstrators loyal to the exiled Thaksin have surrounded Abhisit’s office in Bangkok since Thursday, listening to their leader deliver fiery video addresses against the government each night.

Thaksin urged his supporters Saturday to “rise up” and fight the current administration, while a day earlier he accused two of the revered king’s advisers of masterminding the 2006 military coup that toppled him.

“He is trying to arouse people in an effort to gain benefit for himself,” the British-born Abhisit told reporters.

The prime minister said that while protests were allowed by law, the demonstrators “should not make more trouble for people who are already suffering from economic turmoil.”

Some 1,500 so-called “Red Shirts” kept up the vigil at Government House for the fourth day Sunday. Numbers have swelled in the evening to up to 30,000 as people gather to listen to Thaksin.

Speaking from an unknown location abroad while wearing a red shirt, an impassioned Thaksin called in his video speeches for the Oxford-educated Abhisit to dissolve the government and call fresh elections.

He further hit out at Abhisit’s policies for lifting Thailand out of the slump caused by the global financial crisis, which has hurt the kingdom’s export-dependent economy.

The prime minister defended his government, saying it “is still focused on working, we are confident we can carry on working.”

The protests are the biggest by Thaksin’s loyalists since Abhisit came to power in December, following a controversial court decision to dissolve the previous government led by Thaksin’s brother-in-law.

They accuse the prime minister of being a stooge of Thailand’s powerful army and have demanded the prosecution of the people behind a siege of Bangkok’s airports late last year which helped to hasten the fall of the last administration.

Abhisit meanwhile defended two of the king’s advisers — ex-premiers General Prem Tinsulanonda and General Surayud Chulanont — against Thaksin’s accusations that they were responsible for the coup against him.

Thaksin’s claims were a rare departure for Thailand, where King Bhumibol Adulyadej is protected from criticism from strict lese majeste laws that can see violators jailed for up to 15 years.

“A protest for political demands should be related to politics, there is no reason to mention the privy council,” Abhisit said, referring to the king’s council of advisors.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya meanwhile said Sunday that the government was pushing forward on talks with other countries on the possible extradition of Thaksin.

The former premier was sentenced in absentia in October to two years in prison for abuse of power linked to a 2003 land deal.

He said earlier this month that he was in Dubai after months of keeping his whereabouts secret, and he abruptly cancelled plans to appear in person at an event in Hong Kong in early March.

“Prosecutors and the foreign ministry talked to Hong Kong and China recently about the extradition and will talk to Dubai next week,” Kasit said in the ruling party’s annual meeting.

Since his ouster, Thaksin has hopped around the world, with his travels including a brief stint as the owner of English football club Manchester City.

Thailand remains deeply divided between Thaksin’s supporters, primarily the rural and urban poor, and his foes among the old power cliques in the palace, military and the Bangkok elite.

Police have arrested the daughter of a former Phetchaburi MP who they claim faked her death in the tsunami four years ago and then underwent facial surgery and assumed a new identity to evade her creditors.

They had lent her and her husband more than 8 billion baht.

Crime Suppression Division police yesterday arrested Kankanit Angkinant, 48, daughter of Piya Angkinant, near a U-turn on Narathiwat Ratchanakharin road in Sathon.

Mrs Kankanit is also known as Panjit.

She was believed to have been killed in the Dec 26, 2004 tsunami that hit six southern provinces on the Andaman coast until police discovered evidence that proved she was still alive.

Her husband Charnchai Chinsiri, 47, was also arrested at their house on Nang Linchi road in Yannawa district.

The couple were wanted on warrants over fraud charges laid in Samut Sakhon on June 8, 2005. They denied the charges.

CSD chief Pongpat Chayaphan said Mrs Kankanit was believed to have been killed in the tsunami until Permkiat Phothianthong, a representative of Choke Chai Mahachai Co, one of Mrs Kankanit’s creditors, asked police to re-investigate her death.

Pol Maj-Gen Pongpat said the company suspected Mrs Kankanit had faked her death.

He said the company believed that with her “death” she could escape the legal cases and huge debts against her.

The couple had run a company dealing in oil called Parnsap Evergreen Co.

However, the business was not a success and the couple found themselves deep in debt.

They were finally declared bankrupt by the Civil Court in 2004, Pol Maj-Gen Pongpat said.

They faced 63 lawsuits brought against them and owed more than 8.2 billion baht.

Their major creditors included PTT Plc to which more than 5 billion baht was owed, TMB Bank (over 800 million baht), Thai Asset Management Corp (over 500 million baht) and Phayathai Asset Management Co (over 200 million baht).

Pol Maj-Gen Pongpat said after the tsunami tragedy, Mr Charnchai notified police in Ranong’s Muang district that Mrs Kankanit’s body had been found in the sea off Ko Phayam. Her identity card and credit card were discovered on the body.

When the death was reported to officials, a death certificate was issued to confirm she had died.

Mr Charnchai then took the body that he claimed to be that of Mrs Kankanit to Wat Suwankhiriviharn in Phuket where funeral rites were held. The body was cremated on Jan 4, 2005.

Later, her children received payouts from Thai Life Insurance Co worth 900,000 baht and from American International Assurance Co amounting to 1.2 million baht.

Pol Maj-Gen Pongpat said investigators later found evidence to prove Mrs Kankanit was still alive.

It included an attempt to get a new ID card.

A woman claiming to be Phayao Panwang tried to apply for a new ID card at the Bang Kruai municipality office in Nonthaburi in June 2005. She said the old one was lost. Bang Kruai officials rejected the request because her fingerprints did not match that of Ms Phayao.

She later successfully received the ID card under the name of Ms Phayao when she went to the municipal office in Suphan Buri.

Forensic experts were then asked to check the fingerprints. That led them to believe Ms Phayao and Mrs Kankanit were one and the same as the fingerprints matched those of Mrs Kankanit, who was pronounced dead in Dec 2007.

Pol Maj-Gen Pongpat alleged Mrs Kankanit had facial surgery so that people would not recognise her.

Police then began looking for the couple.

Mrs Kankanit and Mr Charnchai changed houses often, Pol Maj-Gen Pongpat said.

Pol Col Kittisak Sukwattanakul, chief of CSD Division 5, who headed the investigation team, said inquiries found Mrs Kankanit had facial surgery in China and used fake ID cards under five different names.

“It took police four years to find and capture them,” Pol Col Kittisak said.

A death certificate, fake civil service ID cards and two handguns were also seized from the couple’s house.

They will be taken to Samut Sakhon police station for further questioning.

The navy was searching on Monday for six foreign tourists and one Thai missing at sea after a boat sank in a storm near the southern resort isle of Phuket, a police official said.

The vessel carrying 30 passengers including 19 foreign tourists was reported missing at about 11pm (1600 GMT) Sunday, having earlier left southern Phuket heading to the Similan island group.

Lieutenant Colonel Panya Chaichana of the Phuket police said 23 passengers and crew had been rescued but two Swiss nationals, two Austrians, one Japanese national, one German and a Thai crew members were missing.

“We suspect the boat sank in the deep water outside Patong beach (on Phuket) due to heavy storms… We are still searching for the other passengers who are still missing,” he said..

The boat was carrying 19 holidaymakers, eight local crew members and three Thai tourist agency staff, he added.

Phuket, Thailand’s biggest island, is one of the kingdom’s top tourist draws, with holidaymakers attracted by its white-sand beaches, plush resorts and spas, and clear blue seas popular with divers and watersports enthusiasts.

Ferries shuttle hundreds of tourists every day between Phuket and the paradise islands in the Andaman Sea a short hop away.

In September 2007, an Israeli tourist died and another was injured when a boat carrying 59 people capsized near Phi Phi, also along the Andaman coast. (AFP)

BANGKOK (AFP) - - Thailand’s navy was on Monday searching for six foreign tourists and one Thai missing at sea after a boat sank in a storm near the southern resort isle of Phuket, a police official said.

The vessel carrying 30 passengers including 19 foreign tourists was reported missing at about 11:00 pm (1600 GMT) Sunday, having earlier left southern Phuket heading to the Similan island group.

Lieutenant Colonel Panya Chaichana of the Phuket police said 23 passengers and crew had been rescued but two Swiss nationals, two Austrians, one Japanese national, one German and a Thai crew members were missing.

“We suspect the boat sank in the deep water outside Patong beach (on Phuket) due to heavy storms… We are still searching for the other passengers who are still missing,” he told AFP.

The boat was carrying 19 holidaymakers, eight local crew members and three Thai tourist agency staff, he added.

Phuket, Thailand’s biggest island, is one of the kingdom’s top tourist draws, with holidaymakers attracted by its white-sand beaches, plush resorts and spas, and clear blue seas popular with divers and watersports enthusiasts.

Ferries shuttle hundreds of tourists every day between Phuket and the paradise islands in the Andaman Sea a short hop away.

In September 2007, an Israeli tourist died and another was injured when a boat carrying 59 people capsized near Phi Phi, also along the Andaman coast.

Hundreds of Suvarnabhumi airport staff will undergo intensive training in an effort to halt illegal wildlife trafficking under the “Wildlife Trafficking Stops Here” campaign.

Jointly organised by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry and Airports of Thailand (AoT), the campaign is aimed at stopping the growing problem of wildlife trafficking through the airport.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti said long term public awareness of nature crimes was needed among passengers who are being urged not to buy protected species.

Part of the campaign will involve projecting anti-trafficking messages on TV monitors and posting placards throughout the airport, particularly at immigration gates and check-in booths in the departure hall. A two-day wildlife trade regulation course will be organised for hundreds of airport staff.

Suvarnabhumi airport is one of Asia’s busiest transport hubs, serving more than 30 million passengers a year. It was also known as a major conduit for illegal wildlife trafficking, Mr Suwit said.

US ambassador to Thailand Eric John, who is involved in the campaign, said thousands of wild animals flowed through trafficking hotspots such as the airport every day to destinations around the world.

More than 30,000 species of wild plants and animals were on the international endangered list with many already on the brink of extinction, he said.

Mr John said the two-day wildlife trade regulation course, supported by the US government and the Asean Wildlife Enforcement Network (Asean-WEN), would teach staff how to identify and handle the smuggling of protected wildlife products, and gain knowledge on national and international wildlife trade laws.

“They will be trained to prevent illegal wildlife trafficking at the airport in order to make Suvarnabhumi an international environmental model for other airports to emulate,” Mr John said.

About 250 airport staff were expected to attend.

In order to avoid detection, the traffickers hide various creatures as cargo or treat them as baggage.

In January last year, 1.4 tonnes of live snakes were discovered in Hanoi on a Vietnam Airlines flight from Suvarnabhumi airport and in June more than 1,000 snakes and rare turtles were found at the airport.

Records kept by Asean-WEN show that from mid-July to December last year, 23,375 live animals were rescued and more 14.6 tonnes of dead animals were recovered in the region.

If the wildlife trafficking continued, anywhere between 13% and 42% of Southeast Asia’s animal and plant species could be wiped out within this century.

BANGKOK - Police say a truck carrying people to a wedding in northeast Thailand crashed early Sunday, killing 10 and injuring 17.

Police say the truck was transporting 30 people near Kalasin when it crashed into a construction pit that was dug for bridge pillars.

Police say the crash occurred about 2 a.m. local time (1930 GMT Saturday) and the driver never saw the open pit.

The police officer, who refused to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media, says the 17 injured were taken to a local hospital.

Five suspected burglars, including well-known car racing champ Nat “Ai Moo Bin” Chahom, have been arrested with stolen valuables worth more than 200 million baht, according to Metropolitan Police Division 4 chief Worapong Chewpreecha.

Pol Lt-Col Worapong yesterday said Supat Neonwichien, 29, was caught at a used car tent close to Phatthanakan intersection in Suan Luang district where he was trying to sell a luxury BMW car.

On Dec 10 last year, a court issued arrest warrants for the five suspects on charges of burglary.

Mr Supat and the four other suspects allegedly broke into a house in the Thararom luxury housing estate on Ramkhamhaeng Soi 9, opened two safes and made off with valuables worth more than 200 million baht.

Police seized stolen items in Mr Supat’s possession ranging from cash in various foreign currencies, three cars, bank deposit books, brand-name watches and jewellery.

Two handguns were among the items confiscated.

Pol Lt-Col Worapong said the arrest of Mr Supat enabled police to capture the four other suspects later.

The four are suspected gang boss Peerawat Tawantharong, 23, Hathai Chaiwat, 38, Kirati Khumpol, 30, and the car racing champion Nat Chahom, 32, better known as “Ai Moo Bin” (Flying Pig).