Protesters killed and injured in Democracy Monument attack
Bangkok's Erawan Emergency Centre reports that two people were killed and 24 were injured in an early-morning grenade and shooting attack on anti-government protesters in the Democracy Monument area.
Bangkok's Erawan Emergency Centre reports that two people were killed and 24 were injured in an early-morning grenade and shooting attack on anti-government protesters in the Democracy Monument area.
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Friday updates
Police say they are still in the dark over who attacked anti-government People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) protesters on Ratchadamnoen Avenue early Thursday.
Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Kamronwit Thoopkrachang said investigators were struggling to identify potential suspects because of a lack of evidence.
Pol Lt Gen Kamronwit said the only clues police had were images of a suspicious looking vehicle seen heading towards the scene of one of the attacks.
Blood from the attack victims was still clearly visible at the base of Democracy Monument this morning. (Post Today photo.)
Thursday stories
Initial reports of a violent, confused incident like this one are almost always wrong in some way and, in the case, reporters have been kept away from the scene to let police carry out their investigation. Thus, details of the report below are likely to change somewhat throughout the day and I'll have updates when more information comes in.
20:10
A bomb disposal officer records evidence at the site where one M79 grenade landed among sleeping protesters at the Democracy Monument. APICHART JINAKUL
The casualty toll has now stabilised. The Erawan Centre (http://www.ems.bangkok.go.th/) reports three deaths and 22 injuries from the early morning attack.
Pol Gen Ek Angsananond, deputy national police chief, said the gunmen fired at the protesters with M16 rifles and pistols as investigators found .223 and .45 cartridges at Khok Wua. The first two deaths occurred in the initial assault at Kokwua. The third occurred near the monument itself.
Pol Col Kamtorn Ouicharoen, chief of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit, said the attackers could have fired the grenades from the west side of the monument or in front of Government Saving Bank's Khok Wua branch.
Meanwhile, Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha on Thursday issued a strongly worded condemnation of the fresh violence and warned that the army will take action if it continues.
The army could be forced to end the violence ''in full force'' to maintain law and order, he said.
"I would like to warn all groups, especially those using weapons against innocent people, to immediately stop it, now. If the violence continues, soldiers could be forced to come out to end it in full force,'' he said in the statement.
12:15
The Erawan Centre nows say a third victim has died from this morning's attack. The person has not yet been identified. The injury toll is now at 23.
Police explosives experts say the M79 grenades were fired from Kokwua about 330-350 metres from where they landed. Altogether three grenades were fired, one hitting the 3rd floor wall of Duang Jai Language school, the second hitting the Din Sor hotel and the third, the base of Democracy Monument.
Protesters killed and injured in Democracy Monument attack
The latest information from Bangkok's Erawan Emergency Centre indicates that two people were killed and 24 were injured, 11 seriously, in an early-morning grenade and shooting attack on anti-government protesters in the Democracy Monument area.
Many of the casualties were resting at the base of the Monument about 2:45am when at least two M-79 grenade rounds hit the area. This was followed by gunfire, likely from M-16 assault rifles, police say. The attack appears to have come from the direction of the nearby Kokwua intersection.
The army arrived soon after the attacks, and sealed the area to allow investigators to gain access. The media have not been allowed access, however.
The military closed access to the site of the violence as dawn broke in Bangkok Thursday. (Post Today photo)
The dead have been identified as Narayot Chanphet, 21, a PDRC guard from Surat Thani and Somkhuan Nuankanai, 51 from Chumphon. Initial reports say both died from bullet wounds.
Mr Narayot was shot in the chest and stomach and Mr Somkhun was shot in the chest and leg.
Witnesses say the attackers arrived in several vehicles. The attackers took between 10 to 20 minutes to carry out their assault before they fled.
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