BANGKOK — Thai TV news channels early today reported that leaders of ongoing anti-government protests in Bangkok had called for an end to the demonstrations after two days of rioting.
Thai channels TPBS and The Nation said protest leaders speaking to a rally outside the prime minister’s office told protesters to go home. Associated Press reporters at Government House saw protesters beginning to file out of the area.
Troops in combat gear had surrounded Government House, where protesters had earlier vowed to make a “final stand” in their goal to unseat the Thai prime minister.
By nightfall Monday, clashes that had gripped several parts of the city had ebbed. Two people died and more than 120 people were injured.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva praised the efforts of security forces, saying they used “soft means” and “prevented as much damage as possible,” though ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra — the man most protesters consider their leader — accused the military of covering up the number killed in the day’s battles.
Political tensions have simmered since 2006, when Thaksin was ousted by a military coup amid accusations of corruption and abuse of power. He remains popular in the impoverished countryside.
Since then, political tensions have run high between his supporters, known as “red shirts,” and the so-called “yellow shirts,” a mix of royalists, academics, professionals and retired military who oppose the former prime minister.
The U.S. Embassy on Monday urged Americans “to avoid the areas of demonstrations and to exercise caution anywhere in Bangkok.”
Monday marked the beginning of the Thai New Year.
