Thai police today warned students to avoid street protests after a gunman shot and wounded two students demonstrating against the country’s prime minister, raising new fears of violence in the country’s tense political crisis.
The attack came after the premier, Samak Sundaravej, yesterday proposed a national referendum to decide his political fate, an unconventional compromise that was dismissed by critics as a stalling tactic that will prolong the unrest.
About 100 students were marching to demonstrate outside Mr Samak's home late last night when an unidentified gunman on the back of a motorcycle opened fire on the crowd, said police chief Somsak Bunsaeng of the Ladprao station in north-east Bangkok.
One of the students was shot in his left leg, the other in his left arm. Police said they were hospitalised but were not seriously hurt.
Anti-government protesters have occupied Mr Samak's official headquarters, Government House, for 11 days, vowing not to leave until he resigns.
Mr Samak imposed a state of emergency on Tuesday after his opponents and supporters clashed near Government House in rioting that left one person dead and dozens wounded.
The decree gives the military the right to restore order, allows authorities to suspend civil liberties and bans public gatherings of more than five people.
Police told students after the shooting that under the state of emergency their protest last night was not allowed, said force spokesman Surapol Tuantong.
"We explained to the students last night that the city is under the state of emergency — and they understood and dispersed," Mr Surapol said.
"The situation is very politically charged. Right now, it's not a good idea to gather," he said. "There are many parties involved and when something like this happens, it's hard to find the perpetrators."
Mr Samak hopes his proposed referendum will allow him to keep his job while placating the People's Alliance for Democracy, which has vowed to continue its anti-government campaign.
The referendum will ask the public to choose between the alliance and the government, but many analysts say a simple yes-no vote is insufficient in the face of a complicated political crisis.
The alliance ridiculed the plan, saying Mr Samak will manipulate the vote, just as they allege he did during general elections his party won in December 2007.
The protesters say Mr Samak is former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's stooge and is running the government for him by proxy while the ousted prime minister is in exile in Britain.
The government's failure to resolve the deadlock has also raised fears of an economic downturn, especially in Thailand's crucial tourist industry, which is particularly susceptible to concerns about political instability.
AP