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Thai ministry stormed after govt declares emergency
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-04-12 21:01

Leaders of the red-shirted, pro-Thaksin United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) said they had "arrested" one of the prime minister's security guards, claiming he had shot dead a protestor at the ministry.

Independent witnesses saw no one shot and Abhisit's spokesman, Thepthai Senpong, dismissed it as "propaganda".

Thai ministry stormed after govt declares emergency
A supporter of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra waves the national flag in front of riot policemen outside the venue of the 14th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Pattaya April 10, 2009. [Agencies]

A Reuters reporter saw the man's badge, confirming he was part of Abhisit's detail. He said the guard was badly beaten up when he was brought to the Government House site where demonstrators later treated his wounds.

Speaking from a makeshift stage, UDD leader Jakrapob Penkair said the Thaksin supporters were ready to defend themselves.

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"They are trying to force us into a people's war. We will bring more people to Government House because the best way to defend ourselves is with numbers," he said.

Petrol Bombs

A Reuters reporter saw more than 100 petrol bombs, wooden stakes and metal poles. Surgical masks were being handed out.

Police said they had arrested Arismun Pongreungrong, a popular singer prominent in the UDD's disruption of the summit, and were holding him at a police station north of Bangkok.

Abhisit suffered a political humiliation when the summit he had presented as a sign of the country's return to normality had to be cancelled after the "red shirts" broke into the venue.

Thaksin's supporters say Abhisit only became premier last December because of parliamentary defections the army engineered. They want new elections, which they would be well placed to win.

Thai financial markets are closed until Thursday for a holiday. Patareeya Benjapolchai, president of the Stock Exchange of Thailand, said he was concerned.

"It's really up to the government now how it manages the situation within this five-day break. What happened was a loss for the country. The ASEAN summit was supposed to be a step-up for our economy," Patareeya told Reuters.

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