Fighting is spreading. Just watched an incredibly heavy firefight on TV broadcast from the Samyan area.
Booby-trap bombs are being found around the red shirts’ bunkers, so the press are being told to move back.
The government is announcing on TV that some red-shirt leaders have fled the area. They’re asking the public to please call the police if they see them anywhere. A special telephone line has been set up to take the calls.
They’re repeating the announcement IN ENGLISH now.
Four red-shirt scum reported killed in the operation so far, 50 injured. Fighting continues.
Among the, allegedly, Arisman, the guy on the video I linked to before, swinging from a cable to escape from arrest.
An Italian reporter death…
I’m sorry for any reporters’ deaths.
The TV is saying red shirts on the main stage in the rally site announced 10 minutes ago that red shirts everywhere upcountry should wreak whatever havoc they could NOW. If it’s true the leaders have fled, then it’s not clear who issued that. Maybe not all of them are gone, maybe it was lower-level minions.
Cooking-gas tanks have been seen in the middle of the street at the intersection of Ratchaprarop and Phetchaburi roads, rigged to explode. One in front of the Amari Watergate Hotel, the other in front of Platinum Fashion Mall. It’s believed they’re to be set off when the soldiers move in.
This is starting to sound much bigger than I expected: a tiny group of firebrands, surrounded by a vast majority of dupes. Any feel for this?
It’s basically a battle for control by two or three elites with different constituencies. Any “class warfare” or “poor versus rich” grass-roots aspect is bunk. There’s a little of that, but it is minor.
Bangkok Bank, Krung Thai Bank, Kasikornbank and Siam Commercial Bank have announced all of their Bangkok branches will close at 1pm, about 40 minutes from now.
That one leader, Arisman, appears to have fled last night, they’re announcing.
So they either are not dupes, or are total dupes?
Mix and match. Some of each.
The provincial hall – where the main provincial government operates out of – in Khon Kaen province, in the Northeast, has been attacked by local red shirts.
The stock exchange closed at 12:30pm, it’s normal close for morning trading, but it’s not opening again.
A report here on the red orders to rise up nationwide.
Okay, well, I’m off into the city, if you can believe that. I promise to be careful.
Red leaders surrendering, crowd booing, police moving in the stage…
Some of the red leaders have been taken to police HQ, probably happy that it wasn’t their own monstrous creating that got their hands on them first.
Aaand… off they go, the headless red mass.
Reports of them breaking into Central World (right next to the Rachaprasong protest site), starting fires on the first floor. This is, I think, the second largest shopping mall in Bangkok.
Internet connection seems unstable now, so it may shut down at any moment.
Widespread fire bombing.
Friendly reminder to the red horde, it’s pillage THEN burn, you idiots started right away with the torching.
Looting at Siam center, Channel 3 and the stock exchange offices torched, Siam Theater on fire and collapsing, etc, etc…
Curfew expected tonight.
Hoo-eee! Made it home okay. THAT was a little adventure. From the Expressway, I could see the huge new Airport Rail Link building engulfed in flames. On Bang Na-Trat Road, I found myself right in the center of what looked like the evacuation of Saigon. I learned the red shirts were on their way to The Nation newspaper down the road a bit, it being anti-Thaksin, and everyone there was emptying out into the streets. Central Bang Na shopping center had closed, pouring all of those people out into the streets. I finally said to hell with this and by some miracle found an empty taxi. Made it home.
But now there are red shirts in our area, the bastards. They’ve set fire to the Bangkok Bank close by on Sathu Pradit Road. All Central shopping centers have been closed, including Central Rama III, right by us. All of the little shops downstairs have closed, and the wife and I were going to walk over to Narathiwat Soi 24 to get some drinks and stuff, but people coming from there warned us back. Said red shirts were out there. Bastards!
As Ale mentioned, Siam heater in Siam Square has collapsed in flames. The ground floor of the Stock Exchange of Thailand is also burning.
Well, we’re okay for now. Have enough food and water. Curfew in place from 8pm-6am, and it’s almost 5:30pm now. Guess we’ll just hunker down for the night. Since I could not make my rounds today, I’ll need to take care of some stuff from here, so forgive me if I disappear for a while.