CRISIS
POST REPORTERS
The People's Alliance for Democracy protesters used various kinds of weapons to ward off police from entering Government House, now under their siege. The ''weapons'' ranged from liquid detergent, electric cables to sewage shaft lids.
Some proved a success in deterring police during yesterday's confrontations between officers and protesters at Makkhawan bridge and Government House.
At Gate 7 of Government House, where hundreds of police were deployed and prepared to break into the compound, PAD guards tied a long wire to the metal gate and charged it with electricity from a portable battery.
When police moved closer, they charged the electricity to generate electric sparks at the gate.
''Police were scared of the sparks and immediately backed off,'' a PAD guard said proudly.
The guard, who declined to be named, said PAD guards came up with the idea to deter police yesterday to prevent police from breaking in.
At the other side of the Government House, PAD protesters covered a section of Phitsanulok road with tarpaulins and poured liquid detergent on it to make the surface slippery.
This prevented police, who were stationed at the nearby Royal Turf Club, from crossing Chamaimaruchet bridge to Government House where tens of thousands PAD protesters have been camped since Tuesday.
Rumours about a police crackdown on the PAD had spread every day. Other protesters collected old sewage shaft lids left inside government compounds to use as shields against police batons or rubber bullets.
Police yesterday reported that various kinds of weapons _ machetes, bullets, golf clubs, iron bars, and batons _ were found at the PAD's demonstration sites.
They could not confirm if the the weapons belonged to PAD. Even if they did, the PAD protesters would not be troubled by their loss, as they believe they can always find other ingenuous ways to protect themselves.
The number of protesters, however, is the most important factor to ensure that the PAD will have the advantage in any scuffle.
Tuesday's siege of the Government House and other key government agencies by thousands of protesters showed that weapons might not as important as the size of the crowd.
PAD leaders know this well and kept calling on supporters to join the protest at the Government House.
Sondhi Limthongkul, the PAD leader, yesterday unveiled the latest measure to deter the police from Government House. He threatened to bring demonstrators to surround the Royal Turf Club, where thousands of border patrol police and riot police are stationed.
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