BBC News on the Thai government’s attempts to deal with the ongoing protests:
The Thai government has imposed a 60-day state of emergency in the capital, Bangkok, and the surrounding provinces, from Wednesday, to cope with unrest.
The decree gives the government wide-ranging powers to deal with disorder.
Anti-government protesters have been blocking parts of the capital to try to force PM Yingluck Shinawatra to resign.
They accuse the government of being run by exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, the brother of the current prime minister.
Ms Yingluck has refused to resign and has called an election on 2 February to pacify the protesters.
The state of emergency was announced after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday and comes after a spate of attacks with explosives and firearms on the anti-government protesters blockading central Bangkok for which the government and the protesters blame each other.
On Sunday, 28 people were injured when grenades were thrown at one of several protest sites set up at major road sections in the city.
“The cabinet decided to invoke the emergency decree to take care of the situation and to enforce the law,” Deputy Prime Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said.
The emergency decree gives the government power to censor the media, ban public gatherings and detain suspects without charge.
George Talusan, a friend and former co-worker of mine was on vacation in Thailand recently and posted some brilliant photos to his Facebook feed. I’ve asked his permission to include a few of them here:
A protester stops his motorcycle and holds up a handmade sign near Lumpini Park (Jan 13)
PDRC protesters wave flags at Victory Monument (Jan 14)
Suthep Thaugsuban delivers a speech at Asok BTS (Jan 15)
PDRC protesters are offered water during a sit-in at Royal Thai Police HQ (Jan 15)
PDRC security guard poses outside Royal Thai Police HQ which had been vandalized after a sit-in (Jan 19)
