ANUCHA CHAROENPO
Regardless of rights or wrongs, the many victims of yesterday's clashes around parliament expressed surprise and anger at the ferocity of the attack.
One injured woman, Varaporn Sirawet, cried bitterly as she recounted the moments when riot police fired tear gas canisters and rubber bullets to disperse her group of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) supporters rallying in front of parliament at dawn yesterday.
Lying in a hospital bed at Vajira hospital with severe leg wounds, Ms Varaporn, 50, a diehard PAD supporter, said she could not understand why the police used excessive force against civilians who gathered for a peaceful demonstration.
"They [police] were so unkind to us. Have they ever thought that we are all Thais just like them?", the woman moaned.
Ms Varaporn, who owns a law firm, was one of dozens of PAD demonstrators injured in the police action. She was sent to Vajira hospital because she sustained serious injuries.
However, the woman vowed to rejoin the anti-government protest as soon as she is discharged from the hospital where she is being treated.
Another injured protester, Somchai Sangarunsilpa, 47, who was hit by a rubber bullet in the right shoulder, said the police action to disperse the demonstrators was "so horrible".
"It happened so fast. I remembered my friends and I being surrounded by a large force of police who then cornered us and fired tear gas and rubber bullets at us," he said.
Mr Somchai also said he heard the sound of explosions, but he did not know or see who threw the explosives into the crowd.
However, he said the government must take the blame for the blasts and whoever ordered the police operation against the demonstrators must be brought to face justice as soon as is possible.
Vajira hospital director Chaiwan Charoenchoke said seven people were seriously injured from the clash in the morning and were being treated at the hospital.
One of them, Bancha Bunkaew, 50, needed to have his left leg amputated due to severe wounds caused by some hard objects thrown by the force of an explosion.
The man's leg could not be saved because his bone was shattered, said Dr Chaiwan who added that wounds of this nature are mostly caused by a bomb.
Chab Polpakdee, 80, a PAD supporter from Chum Phon province, was wounded in the right thumb.
"I am old now, so I am neither afraid of an incident like this nor of death.
"I will go back to stage another protest right away," said Mr Chab.
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