Bangkok protesters 'feel they have been robbed of political power' guardian.co.uk

Thai courts have issued arrest warrants for the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and 13 anti-government protesters blamed for one of the worst weeks of violence in the country's recent history.

Demonstrators have vowed to return to the streets unless the country's political system is reformed, regardless of the legal threat and the overwhelming military force used against them in recent days.

Faced by armoured personnel carriers and armed troops, 3,000 red-shirted protesters capitulated in Bangkok today, ending a bloody three-week period with a plume of black smoke, a cascade of water and a noisy retreat parade.

The demonstrators, many in tears, retreated from Government House. Four ringleaders handed themselves in to the police as hundreds of gun-toting troops surrounded their last stronghold.

Their leaders are charged with illegal assembly and creating a public disturbance, which carry prison terms of between three and seven years. The accusations add to the legal pressure against Thaksin, who called on his supporters via video phone last weekend to launch a revolution against the Thai government.

Thaksin's ousting as PM has been at the heart of three years of political turmoil. The former premier, who won two landslide election victories, fled into self-imposed exile last year before he was charged with violating a conflict of interest law.

His supporters backed down peacefully after at least two people were killed and 117 injured in yesterday's violent clashes. They set fire to two buses, ignited gas canisters and hosed the streets with water from a stolen fire engine, but there was no direct conflict with soldiers massed behind armoured personnel carriers and armed with M16 rifles and percussion grenades.

"This is not the end. We'll come back," said one protest leader, Nattawut Saikuar, after a farewell address to supporters. He said the protest leaders would meet after the Songkran new year festival to "discuss our next move".

The rebels, who identify themselves with red shirts and are mostly from Thailand's poorest classes, surrounded Government House in the last week of March. They called for new elections and the resignation of the prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, whom they accuse of being a military puppet.

In a televised address, Abhisit said the soldiers had restored order but more needed to be done to heal the divisions that have emerged in Thai society.

"If it is victory, it is a victory of society that peace and order has returned," he said. But he urged continued vigilance. "The operation under the state of emergency is not completed. There are still things to do," he said.

He praised the "soft methods" of the security forces and blamed the two deaths on the protesters. Thaksin accused the military of covering up the number of killings.

The clashes have highlighted the dangerous division in Thai society between a rich urban elite and poor migrants and farmers. Several of the demonstrators blamed the elderly king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, for manipulating the government behind the scenes. Most wanted Thaksin to return to power.

Last week, the red shirts seized key traffic intersections in the Thai capital and forced the cancellation of the Asean summit in the resort of Pattaya. Their actions prompted the government to declare a state of emergency.

Rival yellow and blue-shirted mobs, which support the government, have launched vigilante attacks, particularly on taxi drivers who are seen as a support base for the reds.

The security forces reported two drive-by shootings early this morning, one of which left a soldier critically injured. Several protesters claimed to have been beaten up by gangs of vigilantes and said the army had covered up at least 10 killings.

The conflict prompted staff at the embassies of several countries, including the US, the UK, Japan and France, to warn their citizens to either leave the capital or stay indoors.

As smoke billowed from burning buses again today, the American-born president of the Bangkok mission hospital, George Larrson, said disruptions had worsened since he set up the institution three years ago.

"To have this many troops on the streets and to have reds closing down much of the city last week is the worst yet," he said.

Soldiers regained control of Government House, which was empty of protesters and filled only with the plastic bottles and other rubbish left behind after the sit-in. Before leaving, the demonstrators held a retreat rally in which they sprayed each other in water in a traditional new year celebration. But many were crying after failing to achieve their goal of more democracy.

"We are going home. I'm glad the violence has stopped this time but, unless there is a change, we will come back again and fight even harder," said Thanachai, a hotel worker who was waving a Thai flag on top of an open truck. "There is no justice in Thailand the way things are now."

The government has declared two extra days for the three-day Thai new year holiday, which began Monday, to ensure public safety and give time to repair damage in the city. Many armed troops remain on the streets of Bangkok this evening to ensure continued stability.