Thai hospital evacuated after stormed by protesters
Saturday, 1 May 2010
BANGKOK, Apr 30 (AFP): A hospital in the Thai capital evacuated most of its patients Friday after it was stormed by 'Red Shirt' protesters who mistakenly believed troops were hiding there following recent violence.
Chulalongkorn Hospital also stopped receiving outpatients following the Thursday night incident, in which some 100 Red Shirt guards searched its buildings for troops they feared were preparing for a crackdown.
Tensions are high in Bangkok following the worst political violence in almost two decades which has left 27 people dead and almost 1,000 injured this month in a series of bloody confrontations.
The 1,400-bed hospital sent most of its patients to 10 other facilities in Bangkok and was considering how to cope with the protesters occupying a large part of the city's nearby commercial district, a spokeswoman said.
"For outpatients, if their symptoms are not serious we asked them to postpone treatment," the spokeswoman said. The Reds, who have occupied sections of Bangkok for over a month in their bid to force snap elections, have alleged the hospital was used in a grenade attack on a pro-government rally last week that killed one and wounded dozens. The government said the grenades were fired from inside the Reds' camp -- an accusation the movement has denied.
The Reds publicly apologised for the storming of the hospital, saying guards told demonstration leaders that they saw soldiers inside the facilities, which are located near one of their main barricades.
Meanwhile, Thailand's finance minister warned Friday that if mass street protests in the capital last until the end of the year they may reduce 2010 economic growth by two per centage points.
"The rally has already affected gross domestic product by 0.5 per cent," Korn Chatikavanij told reporters during a visit to Bangkok's Silom business district, on the edge of a protest site in the capital's commercial heart.
Growth was previously predicted to reach 4.5 per cent this year.
Chulalongkorn Hospital also stopped receiving outpatients following the Thursday night incident, in which some 100 Red Shirt guards searched its buildings for troops they feared were preparing for a crackdown.
Tensions are high in Bangkok following the worst political violence in almost two decades which has left 27 people dead and almost 1,000 injured this month in a series of bloody confrontations.
The 1,400-bed hospital sent most of its patients to 10 other facilities in Bangkok and was considering how to cope with the protesters occupying a large part of the city's nearby commercial district, a spokeswoman said.
"For outpatients, if their symptoms are not serious we asked them to postpone treatment," the spokeswoman said. The Reds, who have occupied sections of Bangkok for over a month in their bid to force snap elections, have alleged the hospital was used in a grenade attack on a pro-government rally last week that killed one and wounded dozens. The government said the grenades were fired from inside the Reds' camp -- an accusation the movement has denied.
The Reds publicly apologised for the storming of the hospital, saying guards told demonstration leaders that they saw soldiers inside the facilities, which are located near one of their main barricades.
Meanwhile, Thailand's finance minister warned Friday that if mass street protests in the capital last until the end of the year they may reduce 2010 economic growth by two per centage points.
"The rally has already affected gross domestic product by 0.5 per cent," Korn Chatikavanij told reporters during a visit to Bangkok's Silom business district, on the edge of a protest site in the capital's commercial heart.
Growth was previously predicted to reach 4.5 per cent this year.