The Red Shirts blocked Bangkok elevated railway system by Zuzana Zelenakova

Thai protesters called the Red Shirts blocked briefly the capital´s elevated railway system on Tuesday. Traffic in Bangkok was paralyzed as the protesters threw tyres on the platform in their efforts for immediate elections. The closure came during the morning rush hour resulting in chaos, which was only escalated by hundreds of armed soldiers scattered at the stations and boulevards. After the negotiations with the protesters, these were willing to remove the tyres by mid-morning, informed Police Maj Gen Anuchai Lekbumrung. "We talked to the Red Shirt leaders, and the guards and they have removed the tyres," he said. "They placed the tyres on the platform, not on the! tracks." The red shirt movement is led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) and is opposed to the 2006 Thailand coup d´état that saw Thaksin Shinawatra removed from his post of Prime Minister that he held since 2001. The military coup resulted in cancelling the upcoming elections, dissolving Parliament, arresting Cabinet members and, finally, declaring martial law. According to the Red Shirts current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva came to power illegitimately due to help of the military elite. They demand that he dissolves Parliament and calls new elections. The protesters have been occupying parts of Bangkok since mid-March making various demonstrative efforts like for example closing down hotels or shopping malls. At least 26 people were killed and about thousand injured since then. The government has repeated several times it hopes for the peaceful solution of the unrest. However, taking into consideration the latest protesters´ ! move, the officials warned of tougher reaction if the Red Shir! ts do no t put an end to their actions soon. "In the country, there might be people who neglect their duties, but you can set an example that there are those who perform their duties strictly and honestly," said Thailand´s 82-year-old king Bhumbhol Adulyadej in his first public speech since the beginning of the crisis.

related story (sgx17102): http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_thailand_politics;_ylt=AhA6mpG...

by Zuzana Zelenakova for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

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