Red shirt rioters take battle to the provinces

Govt offices set alight in North and Northeast

• Published: 20/05/2010
  
• Bangkok Post
  

Chaos broke out in several provincial strongholds of the red shirt protesters after the government moved to disperse the main rally at Ratchaprasong, forcing red shirt leaders to turn themselves in to police.

Enraged red shirt protesters in Mukdahan province burn the city hall building. WANLAPA KUAWATTANAPHAN

City hall offices in several provinces in the North and Northeast were burned by United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship supporters after the Centre for Resolution of the Emergency Situation launched its operation to break the red shirt barricades at Sala Daeng and Sam Yan. The move forced UDD leaders to disperse the rally and surrender to save protesters’ lives.

More than 600 demonstrators in Udon Thani gathered at Thung Sri Muang grounds and lashed out against the government’s actions, after violence between the sides led to several deaths.

Authorities tried to calm protesters before they moved to the city hall office and broke the gates and glass doors before flocking inside.

Angry protesters broke and damaged assets including vehicles and set alight the city hall’s old building. Fire trucks could not access the areas because they were blocked by protesters.

In Khon Kaen, red shirt protesters set fire to the old wooden city hall building and burned it to the ground while the new building was burned at the west site.

About 2,000 enraged protesters broke the gates and damaged anything in their path.

They also set fire to a pile of old tyres in the city hall compound.

The situation was the same in Chiang Mai, the hometown of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Protesters burned the house of a senior provincial officer located in the compound of the provincial governor’s residence.

A number of old tyres were also burned at the compound.

Upset protesters also flocked to Bangkok Bank’s Tha Phae branch.

Meanwhile, pro-Thaksin supporters in Mukdahan broke into the city hall compound and burned the building. Fire trucks that responded were attacked by protesters, though some red shirts disagreed with such actions.

In Ubon Ratchathani, about 1,000 protesters clashed with security officers at the city hall compound before they set fire to the Provincial Culture Office located in the compound. Some protesters then moved to the second floor of city hall and set fire to the provincial governor’s room, damaging it severely.