Pattaya Daily News

Bangkok, the 8^th of May 2010 [PDN]: Following the announced support of the Prime Ministers ‘road map’ by Red aligned coalition parties on Thursday, Red Shirt leaders met to discuss their stance, later announcing their conditional support of the proposal. It is believed that the Red Shirt protesters will continue to remain at their Ratchaprasong rally site until an exact date is set for the dissolution of the House. At present the government has outlined a two week time frame for dissolution believed to be towards the end of September.

Meanwhile, People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters, commonly known as the Yellow Shirts, have voiced their staunch objection to the proposed ‘road map,’ stating primarily, that the Prime Minister had given in to the ‘terrorists’ intimidation tactics. Calls for PM Abhisit’s immediate resignation from his position have been voiced by the Yellow Shirts, whilst they have begun pleading with the government to further investigate the April 10th and 22^nd attacks in addition to the recent claims of an anti-monarchy uprising within the Red Shirt ranks. Yellow Shirt leaders believe that terrorists were willingly let loose amongst the Reds Shirts protest with the specific aim of causing death and destabilising the Thai government.

The newly formed third wing of protesters, labelled the Multi-coloured Shirts, has met with the Prime Minister on Thursday to discuss various issues and grievances they have over the premier’s proposal. Although agreeing to the need to resolve the current political crisis through peaceful means, some members of the Mulit-coloured Shirts believe that Abhisit’s 5 point proposal is impossible to achieve in such a short time frame. Key Multi-coloured Shirt leaders have now given the premier a 2-month deadline to revise a more tangible ‘road map’ to recovery.

As the majority of the political protests move into the meeting rooms, Bangkok was rocked on Friday night by yet another wave of fatal grenade attacks, seemingly targeting police and security personnel on watch in Bangkok’s Silom business district. The two separate blasts, suspected M-79 grenades, were volleyed into two separate outposts of police on-guard near Lumpini Park at the Sala Daeng Intersection in Silom. The blasts killed two policemen, whilst seven other policemen and two civilians were severely injured in the attack.

The police had been stationed in the Silom District to prevent groups of both Red Shirt and Multi-coloured shirts from forming in more violent protests, the likes of which were seen at the location on the 22^nd of April in which one person died and hundreds were injured. As yet no description of the offenders has been obtained, however; it is believed that both attacks were carried out by the same people, using M-79 grenade launchers before fleeing on a motorbike/s.

Note: As in any confrontation, when attempts at peace are being made between two opposed factions, disapproving individuals from both sides of the fence will inevitably attempt to destabilise negotiations in order to fulfil their own personal agendas. At present these most recent attacks are in all possibility a result of the current peaceful negotiations that are being played out behind closed doors.

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• Political Tension: Abhisit Government to Maintain the Peace

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