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Thai Government Increases Pressure on Protesters

   Thai Army to cut power, supplies to protesters

   Bangkok   12 May 2010
   'Red  Shirt'  protesters  sleep  behind  photos  of the recent violent
   clashes between protesters and government forces in Bangkok, Thailand,
   12 May 2010

Photo: AP

   'Red  Shirt'  protesters  sleep  behind  photos  of the recent violent
   clashes between protesters and government forces in Bangkok, Thailand,
   12 May 2010

   Thailand's  government  threatens  to cut off water, power and food to
   the  Bangkok  business  district  where  thousands  of anti-government
   protesters are camped.
   The  Thai  military  has  warned  residents  of  Bangkok's Rajaprasong
   district to leave Wednesday.
   Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd, an army spokesman, says the military will
   avoid  violence,  but at midnight, power and food supplies, as well as
   transportation lines, will be cut off.
   The  government's  threat  to  lay  siege  to the camp comes after the
   protesters, known as red shirts, ignored an ultimatum to leave.
   The  red  shirts  had  agreed to a government reconciliation plan that
   includes   elections   in   November,   but  talks  broke  down  about
   investigations into violence since the protests began in March.
   About  30  people  have  died  -  protesters and security forces - and
   nearly  1,000  others  injured  since then.  Thousands of people have
   lost  their  jobs and hundreds of businesses have been forced to close
   since  the  red  shirts  set  up  a  sprawling camp in Rajaprasong, an
   upscale residential and commercial district.

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