Blast Hits Thai Anti-Government Protesters | WPN World People News

Thai police have said that at least eight people have been wounded by an explosion that went off in Bangkok during a march of anti-government protesters led by opposition leader Suthep Thaugsuban.

Authorities said the blast occurred after 1 pm in the capital on Friday. Television footage showed several protesters covered in blood, but there have been no immediate reports of deaths.

Protesters were seen searching nearby buildings for the unidentified attackers, while ambulances rushed the wounded away. Police are investigating what type of explosive caused the blast.

The last few nights has seen a series of drive-by shootings on protest camps; protesters blame the attacks on the government.

Protest leader Suthep is calling for an unelected people's council to replace the current government, which he claims is corrupt and engages in nepotism.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has refused to step down. She insists on holding early elections on February 2, though the opposition has said it will boycott the polls.

Until this attack, this week's protests have been peaceful, as police have largely stayed away and avoided conflict. The protesters have also not been particularly successful in shutting down the government and the city, as they had planned.

Thailand has experienced regular political turmoil in recent years. The conflict pits Bangkok's urban middle class and royalist elite against the mostly poor, rural supporters of Yingluck and her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup, remains very influential in Thailand, even though he was convicted of corruption and lives in self-imposed exile.

Yingluck's Pheu Thai party is expected to easily win the February vote, thanks to the popularity of her brother, who remains popular in part because of social welfare programs he enacted.

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