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BANGKOK: Thailand's Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat on Thursday denied his administration was involved in a bomb attack at a Bangkok anti-government protest site which killed one person and injured 22.
Somchai said police would investigate and take swift action against those behind Thursday's attack at the Government House compound, occupied since late August by protest group the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).
A PAD statement blamed the killing on an "unknown member of the government" firing a grenade at the protest site. It added that the "use of a war weapon showed that it's the work of the government".
"I don't understand why the PAD must put the blame on the government every time they are attacked. It is not government policy to use force or violence," Somchai told reporters.
"No one wants bloodshed or killing among Thais."
Police have confirmed the death and injury toll, but have been unable to enter the compound and investigate the cause.
The PAD said it would hold a mass protest on Sunday to "stop the tyrant government" led by Somchai, which they say is a corrupt proxy for ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
"The PAD will no longer tolerate daily brutal crackdowns by the government and cannot accept any type of Thaksin regime," the statement said.
Somchai criticised the PAD for preventing police from carrying out their jobs, but also shrugged off the threat of a rally.
"As long as the protest is under the law, it's no problem," he said.
Thailand has been gripped by political turmoil since May when the PAD began their rallies against the government elected in December, more than a year after the coup that toppled billionaire tycoon Thaksin.
The months-long stand-off erupted into bloodshed on October 7 when police fired tear gas at demonstrators trying to block parliament, sparking clashes that left two people dead and nearly 500 injured.
- AFP/yt
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