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Arrest Warrants for Thai Protest Leaders

by Rachel Nixon | April 14, 2009 at 10:16 am

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Arrest warrants have been issued for 13 anti-government protest leaders in Bangkok, as well as for the man they support, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra.

Mr Thaksin was ousted by the military in a coup in 2006. The protesters have called for the current government led by Abhisit Vejjajiva to step down and new elections to be held.

The group had been charged with inciting a public disturbance and illegal assembly, the warrant said.

The protests have shut down large parts of the capital, Bangkok, for the last three weeks. Clashes on Monday left two people dead and dozens of others hurt.

But on Tuesday, as troops massed, the protesters called off their action.

Overnight the army hemmed in several thousand activists around Government House.

More soldiers then moved in, prompting the protest leaders to call on their remaining followers to go home to avoid further bloodshed.

Last week the protests forced the cancellation of the regional Asean summit as demonstrators massed outside the venue. Clashes then erupted in Bangkok where a day of violence left more than 120 people injured.

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