Thai govt vows action as Red Shirts block train

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Managing Director & CEO of NCC Bank Mohammed Nurul Amin and General Manager of Islamic Exchange Co. in Qatar, Doha Yousuf P Hameed exchanging documents after signing an agreement on behalf of their respective organisations in Doha recently. Under the agre

BANGKOK, Apr 27 (Reuters): Protesters briefly forced Bangkok's elevated railway system to shut Tuesday, paralysing traffic, and the government warned of tougher operations to quell growing unrest in a seven-week crisis that has killed 26 people.
Thailand's revered but ailing 82-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, regarded as the nation's sole unifying figure, spoke publicly late Monday for the first time since the turmoil erupted in his kingdom.
He did not directly address the political stalemate, telling the newly sworn-in judges to perform their duty honestly and provide examples to the public. In the past, including a bloody conflict in 1992, he stepped in as an arbiter to bring peace.
Hopes for an end to the standoff were dashed at the weekend when Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva rejected a proposal by the protesters for an election in three months, saying an immediate poll could turn violent and refusing to negotiate under threat.
Anti-government protesters said they planned to go on the offensive on Wednesday with daily mobile rallies across Bangkok, a provocative move in defiance of a state of emergency that could lead to clashes with troops or with rival protest groups.
The red shirts had set up roadblocks this week on several highways to prevent police and troops from coming into Bangkok.
A group opposed to them called the "multi-colors" has held daily rallies in the capital, and the anti-Thaksin "yellow shirts," which besieged Bangkok's airports in 2008, have demanded the government take tougher action against the red shirts, raising fears of civil conflict in the capital.
Diplomats and analysts liken rhetoric on both sides to psychological warfare.