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Seven injured as clashes rock Thai capital on eve of elections Thailand’s election underway amid continuing turmoil
(about 7 hours later)
BANGKOK — Gunfire rang out across a busy intersection in Thailand’s capital for more than an hour Saturday as government supporters clashed with protesters trying to derail nationwide elections one day before the vote begins. At least seven people were injured, including an American photojournalist. BANGKOK — Thailand’s tense national election got underway Sunday with protesters forcing the closure of several polling stations in the capital amid fears of more bloodshed a day after gun battles in Bangkok left seven people wounded.
People caught up in the mayhem crouched behind cars and ducked on a pedestrian bridge while others fled inside a nearby shopping mall. The extent of disruptions was not immediately clear when polls opened nationwide. But there were early indications that several hundred polling stations in Bangkok and southern Thailand, an opposition stronghold, could not open because protesters had blocked the delivery of ballots or stopped voters from entering.
The exchange of fire was the latest flare-up in a months-long struggle by protesters to overthrow Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s government, which they accuse of corruption. The turmoil raises the prospect of more violence Sunday, when polls open for an electoral contest that has devolved into a battle of wills between the government and protesters — and those caught in between who insist on their right to vote. The outcome will almost certainly be inconclusive. Because protesters blocked candidate registration in some districts, parliament will not have enough members to convene. That means beleaguered Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will be unable to form a government or even pass a budget, and Thailand will be stuck in political limbo for months as by-elections are run in constituencies that were unable to vote.
Saturday’s confrontation began after a group of government supporters marched to a district office in the northern Bangkok suburb of Laksi. The office had been surrounded by protesters intent on preventing ballot boxes housed inside from being delivered to a nearby polling station Sunday. The risk of Election Day violence remained high a day after seven people were wounded during an hour-long gunfight that broke out at a busy Bangkok intersection Saturday between government supporters and protesters intent on derailing the polls. Among the injured was a reporter for the local Daily News and American photojournalist James Nachtwey, who was grazed by a bullet in the leg.
Tensions mounted for hours before clashes finally broke out. The exchange of fire was the latest flare-up in a months-long campaign by protesters to overthrow Yingluck’s government, which they accuse of corruption. The violence crystallized the power struggle that has devolved into a battle of wills between the government and protesters — and those caught between, who insist on their right to vote.
Associated Press journalists saw a gunman allied with protesters firing an assault rifle, and another firing a pistol as he lay on his stomach on the road. Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, said several pro-government gunmen climbed to the mall’s rooftop and began firing down toward rivals. The two sides also fought with rocks and firecrackers. Under heavy police security, Yingluck cast her vote at a polling station in northeastern Bangkok, cheered on by supporters.
“What is clear is that both sides had weapons, both sides were armed,” Sunai said. “This is a very worrying sign.” “Today is an important day,” she told reporters. “I would like to invite Thai people to come out and vote to uphold democracy.”
According to the city’s emergency services, at least six Thais were wounded, including a reporter for the local Daily News newspaper. An American photojournalist, James Nachtwey, was grazed by a bullet in the leg. Voting was not as easy in other parts of Bangkok, where protesters vowed to fill the streets to prevent voters from reaching polling stations.
The conflict pits demonstrators who say they want to suspend the country’s fragile democracy to institute anti-corruption reforms against Yingluck’s supporters and civilians who know the election will do little to solve the nation’s crisis but insist on the right to vote. At one of the more volatile districts of central Bangkok, a group of would-be voters in Din Daeng tried and failed to push through a crowd of protesters.
The protesters, a minority who cannot win power at the polls, are demanding the government’s replacement by an unelected council that would rewrite political and electoral laws to combat corruption and money politics. Yingluck has refused to step down, saying that she is open to reform but that such a council would be unconstitutional. “This is too much. I want to vote,” said Yupin Pintong, 42, a Bangkok resident. “I don’t care if there’s violence. I will be really upset if I don’t get to vote.”
Since the protests began late last year, at least 10 people have been killed and nearly 600 wounded. The conflict pits demonstrators who say they want to suspend the country’s fragile democracy to institute anti-corruption reforms against Yingluck’s supporters, who know the election will not solve the nation’s crisis but insist the right to vote should not be taken away.
Whatever happens Sunday, the outcome of the vote will almost certainly be inconclusive. Because protesters have already blocked candidate registration in some districts, parliament will not have enough members to convene. That means Yingluck will be unable to form a government or even pass a budget, and Thailand will be stuck in political limbo for months as by-elections are run in constituencies that were unable to vote. The protesters, a minority that cannot win power at the polls, are demanding the government be replaced by an unelected council that would rewrite laws to combat deep-seated problems of corruption and money politics. Yingluck has refused to step down, arguing that she is open to reform and that such a council would be unconstitutional.
— Associated Press— Associated Press