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Thailand lifts curfew as calm returns to Bangkok
Agence France Presse - May 29, 2010
Anusak Konglang, Bangkok – Thailand's premier on Saturday lifted a curfew imposed across about one third of the country, including Bangkok, in the wake of deadly anti-government protests, saying the situation was now under control.
But Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said there was no plan yet to revoke emergency rule following the end of two months of mass rallies by the "Red Shirts" that left almost 90 people dead in a series of clashes with troops.
"The curfew will be lifted but the state of emergency will remain in place," Abhisit told reporters.
He said security officials had proposed ending the night-time restrictions on movement "as the situation is under control."
The measure was imposed in Bangkok and 23 provinces, out of a total of 76, on May 19 after enraged protesters went on a rampage of arson following an army crackdown on their rally, which had paralysed the retail heart of the capital.
Protest leaders surrendered after armoured vehicles backed by armed troops firing live rounds smashed through towering barricades made of tyres and razor wire that the Red Shirts had erected around their sprawling base.
But militant protesters angered by the outcome set 36 major buildings ablaze including the stock exchange and Thailand's biggest shopping mall, Central World, which now stands in ruins.
The unrest also spread to several cities in the Red Shirts' stronghold in Thailand's impoverished northeast.
While Bangkok has tried to get back to business this week, authorities on Tuesday extended a midnight-to-4am curfew for four more nights as the government sought to restore order.
Anyone violating the curfew had faced up to two years in jail, and the measures had made life hard for people who usually work during the night and put a damper on the capital's normally lively nightlife.
The Red Shirts, many of whose leaders have been arrested and are in police custody, were campaigning for elections to oust Abhisit's government, which they say is elitist and undemocratic.
Thailand declared a state of emergency in Bangkok on April 7 after protesters stormed parliament in an escalation of their street rallies.
A Thai court on Tuesday approved an arrest warrant for fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on terrorism charges, which carry a maximum penalty of death, in connection with the violent protests.
Abhisit's government has accused Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, of inciting unrest and bankrolling the mass rallies by the Red Shirts, many of whom seek the return of the former telecoms tycoon.
The Thai government has said it will request Interpol's co-operation to arrest the former billionaire telecoms tycoon on the terrorism charges.
Thaksin, who lives in self-imposed exile – mainly in Dubai – to avoid a two-year jail term imposed by a Thai court in absentia for corruption, has denounced the accusations as "politically motivated."
Thailand has asked Montenegro, which has issued a passport to Thaksin, to detain him when he visits the Balkans state, which has a policy of not extraditing its citizens wanted in other countries.
"The Thai government has already sent all the evidence to Montenegro," Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya told reporters Saturday.
Thailand "is seeking its cooperation in line with the international practice of not giving shelter to terrorists."
"As Montengro is trying to become a member of the European Union it must comply with the international community in terms of transparency and good governance," he added.
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