Free Republic

He came to power as the decent leader: a smooth British-born and Oxford-educated Thai aristocrat who promised to end political turmoil and restore democracy. But Abhisit Vejjajiva was cowering behind razor wire in a military barracks in suburban Bangkok as his capital, turned into a smoking battlefield by mobs in red shirts, braced itself for an expected bloody crackdown. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Eighteen months after becoming prime minister of Thailand, once a bulwark of Asian calm and prosperity, Mr Abhisit is still in office but is only just in power. Anti-government protesters who support one of his ousted...

BANGKOK – Thailand's prime minister narrowly escaped a savage attack and rioting erupted in Bangkok as protesters commandeered public buses and swarmed triumphantly over military vehicles in unchecked defiance after the government declared a state of emergency. Bands of red-shirted anti-government protesters roamed areas of the Thai capital, with some smashing a car carrying Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and others beating up motorists who hurled insults at them. At least 10 intersections were occupied by the protesters, who used buses to barricade several major roads, spawning massive traffic jams.