Thai Red Shirt protesters storm TV station

In the first open show of violence in a month-long battle for power in Thailand, thousands of anti-government protesters in Thailand stormed a satellite TV station today.

The crowed breached an army cordon and demanded that officials re-open the “People” channel and internet networks that were closed down yesterday to prevent the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, widely known as Red Shirts, from broadcasting.

Police and soldiers fired water cannon and teargas in a failed attempt to disperse thousands who climbed over rolls of razor wire and forced open the gate of the station’s compound.

The protestors hurled rocks and half-spent tear gas canisters back at the ranks of the military. They quickly won through, and threw themselves bodily against the security forces. Discarded helmets, riot shields and shin pads were soon seen floating in the large pond in front of the Thaicom building, mute testimony to a battle which seemed to be over in a matter of minutes.

Most of the soldiers pulled back from the Thaicom Pcl satellite station, about 60km (37 miles) north of Bangkok, leaving the grounds largely in control of the Red Shirts.

Queues of disarmed soldiers, some bandaged, some barefoot, began trudging through the crowds of red-shirts milling in the Thaicom grounds. Slapped on the back and cheered by magnanimous protesters, only a few could raise a smile, but their rapid defeat raised the question of their willingness to do battle with red-shirts seemingly armed with little but invective. Later red-shirts bore weapons aloft in a march through the grounds by the victorious protesters, but it was unclear whether they came from disarmed soldiers and police officers or from security guards.

Eakachai Pitooprom, a 32-year-old construction worker wearing a bright red t-shirt and scarf, said the red-shirts were determined the People TV cable channel, P-TV, would resume broadcasting. Although the red-shirts did not actually get into the Thaicom building, he said the protest would ensure that freedom of speech was maintained for the protesters in Thailand. “We want to open a signal for the many people who watch this channel,” he said, at ease in the Thaicom grounds, looking up at circling helicopters. “We pushed our way in, and now the soldiers have gone.”

“We want our TV back. You cannot shut our eyes and ears,” Jatuporn Prompan, a Red Shirts leader, said from the back of a truck after leading the protesters into the compound.

But he and other supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime Minister who was ousted in a military coup in 2006, have not yet entered the main building which houses the satellite equipment.

The Government seized equipment at the station yesterday saying that it was inciting violence.

Panitan Wattanayagorn, a government spokesman, said the channel cannot go back on air. “They are still distorting information and we cannot allow that.”

The protesters, who briefly besieged parliament on Wednesday, seized guns, batons, shields, bullets and teargas cannon from police and soldiers and displayed them at the station.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has said he will not order a crackdown on the mostly rural and working-class protesters who have also ignored orders to leave Bangkok’s main shopping district since Saturday. The country is now in its 27th day of protests demanding new elections.

Mr Abhisit faces pressure to either compromise and call an election that he could easily lose, or start a crackdown that could stir up even more unrest.

Most analysts doubt the authorities will use force to remove thousands of protesters from the shopping area — a politically risky decision for Mr Abhisit as his 16-month-old coalition Government struggles to build support outside Bangkok.

Sansern Kaewkamnerd, an army spokesman, said that security forces would maintain order “in accordance with the law from use of soft to harsh means in seven steps if protesters violate [the decree]”.

Those steps included baton and shield charges, water hoses, teargas and rubber bullets. About 30,000 security forces were deployed across Bangkok, he added.

Much of Bangkok was calm and life went on as normal. Many of the malls in the central shopping and hotel district, where the Red Shirts have camped out since April 3, had reopened.

Security forces were not visibly deployed at the main rally site, although it is right in front of the police headquarters, opting to stay in their bases or on roads at least 2km away in an apparent attempt to avoid provocation.