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Corentin Fohlen
France, Fedephoto
2nd Prize Spot News Stories
Red Shirt protestors clash with Thai government forces in mid-May, in the Silom commercial district of Bangkok. The clashes were part of a two-month stand-off between the Red Shirts and the authorities. Thailand had been gripped by political unrest since Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a military coup in September 2006. Elections in 2008 had placed Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Democratic Party leader, in power. But the Red Shirts, coming largely from among the rural poor who had benefited from Thaksin's policies, opposed him. Protestors hurled rocks and set fire to tires in the street. Troops and the police countered with rubber bullets, tear gas, and live ammunition. On 19 May, Red Shirt leaders surrendered, telling their supporters to end the protest. Even after the call to surrender, some demonstrators said they would fight on. By the time unrest finally died down at the end of May, over 80 people had been killed and some 2,000 injured. |