Major Bangkok hospital evacuates patients after break-in by Thai anti-government protesters

Thai protesters storm major hospital in Bangkok

BANGKOK — A major hospital in the Thai capital evacuated patients and suspended all but emergency surgery Friday after anti-government protesters who occupy a nearby zone stormed in to hunt for security forces they suspected were positioned there.

A group of so-called Red Shirts broke into Chulalongkorn Hospital late Thursday despite pleas from its director, then withdrew back into their enclave after not finding soldiers or police within the sprawling compound.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who the protesters seek to overthrow, went on nationwide television to criticize recent Red Shirt actions that have paralyzed areas of central Bangkok.

The Red Shirts, drawn mostly from the rural and urban poor, are demanding dissolution of Parliament and new elections, saying Abhisit came to power through the connivance of Bangkok’s elite bureaucrats and the military, which ousted their hero — ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra — in a 2006 coup.

“It’s not necessary for me to condemn (the hospital break-in) since Thai society and the world community have already done that,” Abhisit said, adding that the government would “not allow any movements that pose threats to the public.”

Despite such warnings, the Red Shirts, who began their protests March 12, have defied authorities at every turn, entering the Parliament building, laying siege to a telecommunications complex, blocking roads and staging mass motorized rallies in the Thai capital. At least 27 people have died and nearly 1,000 have been injured in outbreaks of street violence.

Security forces have in almost every instance been unable or unwilling to stop the Red Shirt forays, including the incursion into the century-old public hospital, which feared a second break-in Friday.

However, Weng Tojirakarn, a Red Shirt leader and medical doctor, issued a “deep apology” for the raid staged by up to 100 protesters. He called it “inappropriate, too much, and unreasonable.”

It was not clear whether Weng apologized because of the sharp negative reaction by many Bangkok residents to the foray, or whether it was staged by some of the more radical members of the movement rather than by general consensus.

Authorities sent about 100 police to guard the hospital grounds.

“They can protest all they want but they should not come here, and they should not have prevented us from receiving service,” said an angry Purin Supadith, one of many being turned away at the hospital’s outpatient department Friday morning.

In the face of such incidents, Thai pro-establishment activists have demanded military action against the protesters and an end to “anarchy” in the capital.

The re-emergence of the so-called Yellow Shirts — notorious for shutting Bangkok’s airports for a week in 2008 — added to the volatility on the streets of Bangkok.

The unrest is the result of a political standoff over the 2006 military coup that ousted populist prime minister Thaksin on corruption allegations.

The crisis has hurt business in the capital and devastated Thailand’s vital tourist industry, which accounts for 6 percent of the economy.

But Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said Friday that the economy as a whole is still faring well, with high foreign exchange reserves.

“The Thai economy is showing great resilience. So I think we can survive this. We’ll have no problem staging a quick and immediate rebound,” Korn said.

The Central Bank on Thursday raised its growth forecast for 2010 on the expectations of stronger exports as the global economy improves. It now expects economic growth in a range of 4.3 percent to 5.8 percent, compared with an earlier forecast of 3.3 percent to 5.5 percent.

Parts of Bangkok’s commercial heart have become a barricaded Red Shirt protest camp, forcing the closure of some of the city’s ritziest malls and hotels. The “occupied zone” flanks Chulalongkorn Hospital and abuts Silom Road, the capital’s “Wall Street” which has become a camp ground for military and police units.

A hospital announcement said patients were being sent to other hospitals or to buildings farther away from the Red Shirts. Almost all outpatient services were being suspended along with surgery, except in emergency cases.

Government forces clashed with Red Shirts on Wednesday as they attempted to hold a rally in a Bangkok suburb. Heavily armed troops fired rifles and threw tear gas at the motorbike-riding protesters and took cover behind terrified commuters’ cars. One soldier was killed — apparently by friendly fire — and 18 other people were wounded during the hourslong confrontation.

Associated Press reporters Thanyarat Doksone, Jocelyn Gecker, Grant Peck, Ravi Nessman and Stephen Wright contributed to this report.