2010 Thai political protests

2010 Thai Political Protests
The UDD protest at Ratchaprasong intersection on 8 April 2010
Location	Thailand (mainly Bangkok)
Date	12 March – 19 May 2010
Deaths	91
Non-fatal injuries	+2,100

The 2010 Thai political protests is a series of political protests that were organised by the National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (also known as "Red Shirts") in Bangkok, Thailand from 12 March – 19 May 2010 against the Democrat Party-led government. The UDD called for Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and hold elections earlier than the end of term elections scheduled in 2012. The UDD demanded that the government stand down, but negotiations to set an election date failed. The protests escalated into prolonged violent confrontations between the protesters and the military, and attempts to negotiate a ceasefire failed. More than 80 civilians and 6 soldiers were killed, and more than 2,100 injured by the time the military successfully cracked down on the protesters on 19 May.

Popular opposition against Abhisit Vejjajiva's government rose throughout 2009, due to the controversial 2008 "judicial coup" that banned the Palang Prachachon Party and "silent coup" that allowed the Democrats to form a coalition government. In February 2010, Abhisit tightened security in anticipation of the Supreme Court's ruling to seize Thaksin Shinawatra's bank accounts frozen since the 2006 military coup. The UDD did not protest, but announced protests on 14 March in Bangkok to call for new elections. Abhisit further tightened security. Censorship was heightened, and radio, TV stations and Web sites sympathetic to the UDD were closed.

Estimates for the number of protestors on 14 March ranged from 50,000 (by the government) to 300,000 (by the UDD). At the beginning, protests were mostly peaceful, and initially centred at Phan Fah bridge. Most protesters came from outside Bangkok. After initial UDD unilateral demands of an early election were unsuccessful, dozens of M79 grenade attacks occurred far from Phan Fah, but there were no injuries and no arrests. In April, protesters shifted to Ratchaprasong intersection. A state of emergency was declared in Bangkok on 8 April, banning political assemblies of more than five people. On 10 April, troops unsuccessfully cracked down at Phan Fah, resulting in 24 deaths, including one Japanese journalist and five soldiers, and more than 800 injuries. The Thai media called the crackdown "Cruel April" (Thai: เมษาโหด). Further negotiations failed to set an election date. On 22 April, grenade attacks suspected to have been launched from Chulalongkorn Hospital killed one and injured 86 others. UDD members illegally entered Chulalongkorn Hospital in an unsuccessful search for the attackers, drawing widespread condemnation from the Thai press, as the protests started to become substantially more siege like, with barricades and armed guards creating a UDD fortress within the area of Ratchaprasong. Forensics expert Pornthip Rojanasunand later indicated that the hospital might or might not have been the source of the grenade attacks. No arrests were made for either the grenade attack or the illegal entry into the hospital. A UDD proposal for elections in three months was rejected by Abhisit. On 28 April, the military and protesters clashed in northern Bangkok, wounding at least 16 protesters and killing one soldier. The UDD moved out of Phan Fah and consolidated at Ratchaprasong. On 3 May, Abhisit announced a reconciliatory road map and elections on 14 November. The road map was tentatively accepted by the UDD, but after they included additional conditions, the government cancelled negotiations.