3am: Thai troops deploy down Sukhumvit just before a bomb hits

Early Friday morning at approximately 3 am, UDD red shirts, beginning near the BTS Nana skytrain station, began an attempt to take over Sukhumvit-Ploenchit Road, thereby extending the protest area now bounded by the BTS Chitlom station to the north. They were rebuffed by the Thai military and chased out of the area, which included Sukhumvit Soi 4, adjacent to the JW Marriott and Nana Hotels and the Nana Entertainment Plaza.

At least one explosive device, believed to be a home-made bomb, exploded near the JW Marriott Hotel. During the action, UDD protesters continually pelted Thai troops with bottles and other non-ordnance projectiles, while the military stood its ground. It was reported that shots were heard earlier near the corner of Sukhumvit Soi 7, and by 3:30 am, 5 ambulances were seen entering, then leaving the area.

As this post goes to press, the Nana area has been reopened, but numerous BTS skytrain stations, including Nana and Ploenchit, have been closed.

Thursday evening, Major General Khattiya Sawasdipol, a rogue military officer familiarly known as Seh Daeng, had been shot in the head near the main protest area at Siam Square, as a result of sniper fire, and is reported to be in critical condition. Earlier Thursday, Thai military massed under the expressway at an area known familiarly as Soi Zero, “locked and loaded” with infrared scopes and in full battle gear. The fact that Thai military seemed to be ready for the UDD push ten or twelve hours later, as well as the surgical sniper strike against the UDD’s most strident militant, leads to speculation that the UDD may have been infiltrated by Thai security forces aligned with the government.

Seh Daeng was a controversial figure who continually made public statements indicating his non-compromising philosophy toward the Thai government, and had clashed with other UDD leaders wishing to take a more measured approach. This past Sunday, he had been recommended for dismissal by Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwon. Khattiya had developed a reputation for being amoung the most recalcitrant leaders of the protest movement, and a ready thorn in the side to Thai government leaders attempting to forge a reconciliation agreement with the UDD coalition.

The protest area, centered by Siam Square, has now been bottled up by the Thai military, which is strictly controlling entry and exit via main thoroughfares. Water  cannon trucks appear to be in full force, but it remains to be seen when or if a general clearing of the protest area will begin.