Dozens hurt by blast at Thai protest march

BANGKOK, Jan 17 (AFP): A bomb attack wounded dozens of people at an opposition protest march in Thailand's capital on Friday, sending tensions soaring following weeks of mass rallies aimed at overthrowing the government.

The kingdom has been periodically rocked by political bloodshed since former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was overthrown by royalist generals in a coup seven years ago.

His sister, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, has faced more than two months of street demonstrations aimed at forcing her government from office and installing an unelected "people's council".

The authorities and demonstrators both blamed each other for the blast, which was apparently caused by a grenade-type device thrown from a nearby building.

The anti-government movement said the explosion happened shortly before rally leader Suthep Thaugsuban was due to pass by.

"The bomb went off about 30 metres (100 feet) from Suthep," protest spokesman Akanat Promphan told AFP. "Then his bodyguards escorted him back to a rally stage."

Television footage showed several people lying on the ground as ambulances rushed away the wounded. Protesters were seen searching nearby buildings for the attackers.

The city's Erawan emergency centre said 36 people were hurt, including one who was undergoing an emergency operation.

Eight people have been killed and hundreds wounded in street violence since the protests began.