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Bangkok: One anti-government protester was killed and 22 were injured in a bomb blast at one of Bangkok’s two blockaded airports on Monday night.
A grenade was fired at the Don Muang domestic airport, which has been occupied since Thursday by royalist demonstrators from the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD). The PAD, whose supporters wear yellow to show their backing for the King of Thailand is engaged in a mass sit-in to remove the Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat. Amid counter-demonstrations by the red-shirted activists of the ruling People Power Party, there have been fears of a civil war.
It was the third such attack in two days by unidentified assailants targeting the protesters. So far, six people have been killed and scores injured in bomb attacks, clashes with police and street battles between government opponents and supporters.
Meanwhile, Thailand's leader attended a Buddhist ritual Monday, seemingly indifferent to a deepening political crisis that has paralyzed his government, shut down two main airports and stranded 300,000 foreigners in the country.
The crisis is draining millions of dollars from the country's economy even as Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat appears powerless to remove radical anti-government protesters who have occupied the airports for the past week. He has refused to send in police to evict them for fear of bloodshed, instead making weak pleas for the protesters to go home.
The protesters have vowed to stay until Somchai steps down but he has refused.
Still, neither the army, a key player in Thai politics, nor the king has offered Somchai the firm backing he needs to resolve the crisis.
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