Media News - Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Protesters lay siege to Thai television station

Dozens of anti-government protesters armed with knives, guns and golf clubs stormed a TV station and briefly forced it off the air Tuesday, while thousands more peacefully laid siege to government ministries, witnesses and local media said. Members of the People's Alliance for Democracy stormed the government-controlled National Broadcasting Services of Thailand studios in the Thai capital, forcing it to shut down for a few hours before police arrested the 50 to 80 protesters without incident, the broadcaster said. Hundreds more activists protested unarmed outside the gates of the media compound. As many as 8,000 more PAD supporters were peacefully protesting outside the gates of several government ministries including the main Government House, preventing employees from entering the offices, witnesses and local media reported. Top military officials assured the public they would not launch a coup, as they did in response to large anti-government protests in 2006. The protests are the latest effort by the PAD to force Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's government from office. The PAD contends Samak is a proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in the 2006 coup and has sought self-imposed exile in England. (AP via ABC News)

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