Bangkok: At least five persons were killed as a week-long anti-government protests in Thailand today entered a dangerous phase when demonstrators launched a “people's coup” on the embattled regime of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, forcing her to flee a secure police compound.
Police hurled tear-gas and water canons at about 30,000 protesters trying to breach barricades and cut barbed wire protecting Government House, office of the Prime Minister, seeking to oust Yingluck who came to power in 2011.
The Prime Minster was not present at the time. The government denied rumours that she had fled the country but her whereabouts were unknown.
Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban called for a general strike starting from tomorrow. Other leaders urged protesters to seize 10 government offices, six television stations, police headquarters and the Prime Minister's offices in what they are calling a “people's coup”.
“Today is an important day. We'll go to anywhere that is important to the government and we'll paralyse it from tomorrow onwards because nobody will be able to work tomorrow,” Suthep, opposition Democrat Party leader and former deputy Prime Minister, said.
The protesters hurled stones and petrol bombs at police near the metropolitan police headquarters.
Their unrelenting campaign entered a volatile phase today that paralysed parts of Bangkok and followed a night of gun and knife battles between pro- and anti-government protesters in which five persons were killed and over 54 wounded.
