Gunshots rattle Bangkok as prime minister flies out

Gunmen opened fire near several opposition protest sites in Bangkok Wednesday, stoking tensions in the capital as Thailand‘s embattled prime minister flew to her political stronghold in the north.

Street violence, often targeting protesters, has become a near-daily feature of the almost four-month-long crisis gripping Thailand, with the toll standing at 22 dead and hundreds wounded.

Police said unknown gunmen fired sporadically early Wednesday for around an hour in three areas of Bangkok where demonstrators are camped out alongside upscale shopping malls and luxury hotels. Nobody was wounded.

“We don’t know which side fired the shots, but the aim of the gunmen is to intimidate,” deputy national police spokesman Anucha Romyanan told AFP.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is under intense pressure to step down with the protesters calling for an unelected “people’s council” to tackle corruption and a culture of money politics.

More from GlobalPost: Food fight: Thailand’s crisis boils down to a battle over white rice

Her supporters say they will not accept the removal of an elected government by the protesters, military or the courts, raising fears of a protracted standoff.

Yingluck has been summoned by an anti-graft panel on Thursday to hear charges of neglect of duty in connection with a rice subsidy scheme that the opposition says is rife with corruption.

If found guilty she could be removed from office and face a five-year ban from politics.

Yingluck flew to the northern city of Chiang Rai on Wednesday to inspect government-backed projects, saying she might not attend the National Anti-Corruption Commission hearing.

“I have not yet made up my mind,” Yingluck told reporters when asked if she would face the panel.

But a government official who did not want to be named said Yingluck was expected to stay in northern Thailand until Friday.

Officials denied the premier was on the run from protesters, who have vowed to pursue her wherever she goes and have besieged state buildings where she has held cabinet meetings since the occupation of her headquarters in December.

“She is not avoiding the political situation in Bangkok,” said Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt.

Children among victims

More than 700 people have been wounded in street violence since demonstrators took to the streets in late October seeking to curb the political dominance of Yingluck’s billionaire family.

The opposition blames Yingluck’s followers for the violence, while government supporters accuse the demonstrators of trying to incite the military to step in.

Four children were among the victims of two separate grenade and gun attacks on opposition rallies in Bangkok and eastern Thailand over the weekend, drawing widespread condemnation.

More from GlobalPost: Thais bring children to the insurrection, despite recent deaths

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the police headquarters in Bangkok on Wednesday demanding justice for the slain children.

Protesters have occupied several key intersections in the Thai capital with guards — many wearing body armour — searching cars and pedestrians at road blocks made from tyres and sandbags.

It is the country’s deadliest political unrest since 2010, prompting warnings from the army chief that Thailand risks sinking into civil war unless the two sides pull back.

Thailand has been scored by deep divisions since a bloodless coup by the military in 2006 ousted Yingluck’s elder brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, as prime minister.

The latest political violence is the worst since more than 90 people died during protests by pro-Thaksin “Red Shirts” in 2010 that sparked street clashes and a bloody military crackdown.

Yingluck swept to power in 2011 on a wave of support in the rural north and northeast, helped by the flagship rice policy paying farmers up to 50 percent above market rates for their crop.

But the scheme has left the kingdom with stockpiles of unsold rice after Thailand lost its rank as the world’s top rice exporter.

The government, left with limited powers since the dissolution of parliament in December, owes farmers an estimated $ 3.5 billion but has struggled to raise funds to settle its bill, prompting hundreds of farmers to demonstrate for payment in Bangkok.

A general election held on Feb. 2 failed to calm the crisis after protesters obstructed the vote in many opposition strongholds.

Election re-runs are due to be held on March 2 in five of the affected provinces but further disruption appears likely, particularly after a recent court decision restricted the use of force by the authorities to deal with the protests.

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Gunshots rattle Bangkok as prime minister flies out

Obama flies to Oklahoma to console tornado victims

MOORE, Okla. (AP) — President Barack Obama flew to tornado-stricken Oklahoma Sunday to offer both moral and monetary support to a community facing an enormous reconstruction challenge while still reeling from the loss of lives, property and neighborhoods.

The White House said Obama wanted a firsthand look at recovery from the monstrous EF5 tornado that barreled through last Monday afternoon. The president was visiting with affected families and thanking first responders in the devastated town of Moore, about 10 miles from Oklahoma City.

Obama’s motorcade passed past grassy fields strewn with scattered debris. He saw devastation so awesome that it appeared as if garbage had literally rained from the sky. The president’s first stop was the demolished site of the Plaza Towers Elementary School, where seven students were killed when the tornado turned the one-story building into a heap of bricks, broken concrete and twisted metal.

Obama flew from Washington into Tinker Air Force Base and shook hands with personnel whose homes off base were lost or damaged. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, the first to greet the president as he got off the plane, said Sunday that her message to Obama is that she appreciates the visit, but the state also needs quick action from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help the ravaged town of 41,000 people.

The Republican governor said so far, the agency has done a great job of speeding relief and cash assistance to affected families, but she’s concerned about the long run.

“There’s going to come a time when there’s going to be a tremendous amount of need once we begin the debris clearing, which we already have, but really get it cleared off to where we need to start rebuilding these homes, rebuilding these businesses,” she said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” ”And we know at different times in the past, money hasn’t come always as quickly as it should.”

Obama offered prayers for residents from the White House in recent days and has promised to support the rebuilding for as long as it takes. “They have suffered mightily this week,” Obama said Wednesday. “And while the road ahead will be long, their country will be with them every single step of the way.”

White House spokesman Josh Earnest, speaking to reporters accompanying the presidential party on Air Force One, said Obama wanted to make the trip to offer condolences and reiterate his and the nation’s commitment to rebuild.

“This is the greatest nation on Earth, and we’re going to dedicate this nation’s time, attention, resources and expertise to help our people in their time of urgent crisis,” the spokesman said.

Earnest touted the federal contributions so far, including Obama’s signing of a disaster declaration within hours of the storm to speed aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Earnest said that 450 FEMA personnel were working on the ground in Oklahoma and have delivered 43,000 meals, 150,000 liters of water and thousands of cots, blankets and tarps. He said 4,200 people have applied for disaster assistance, and $ 3.4 million in payments have been approved.

Fallin said the money is particularly vital for the victims. “A lot of people lose their checkbooks, they lose their credit cards, they lose their driver’s license, their birth certificates, their insurance papers, they lose everything, and they have no cash. And some of the banks were even hit, the ATM machines, so people need cash to get immediate needs,” she said on CBS.

Earnest also said that forecasters from the National Weather Service had worked ahead of the storm to prepare communities that it threatened. He said they issued a warning 36 minutes before the tornado entered Moore, earlier than the 12-minute average warning. Twenty-four people perished in the tornado, including 10 children.

“These advancements, made by government scientists in the field of weather forecasting at these agencies are dramatic and they’re saving lives,” Earnest said. He said Sunday wasn’t a day for a partisan political debate, adding that “it is evident to any impartial observer here what an important role the federal government can play in providing assistance to our people at their time of urgent need.”

Among the tornado victims were 10 children, including two sisters pulled by the strong winds out of their mother’s grasp, an infant who died along with his mother trying to ride out the storm in a convenience store and seven students at Plaza Towers. Many students were pulled from the rubble after the school was destroyed.

Fallin noted that some 100 other schools in Oklahoma have safe rooms for children to seek shelter in tornados.

“Schools that have been lost in the past, many of them have rebuilt rooms of some sort as a safe room in their school, and we’re certainly going to encourage that,” she said.

“Any death is very unfortunate, but it’s truly incredible that we had only 24 deaths at this site, because if you look at all the debris field and how wide it is, I don’t know how anybody survived this tornado,” she said on CBS.

The White House said that FEMA has already provided $ 57 million in rebates and incentives to help build about 12,000 storm shelters in Oklahoma. “These storm shelters can be the difference between life and death,” Earnest said.

___

Follow Nedra Pickler on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nedrapickler

Associated Press

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Obama flies to Oklahoma to console tornado victims

Obama flies to Oklahoma to console tornado victims

President Barack Obama walks across the tarmac to greet people as he arrives on Air Force One, Sunday, May 26, 2013, at Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City, Okla., en route to the Moore, Okla., to see the response to the severe tornadoes and weather that devastated the area. He will also visit with the families affected, and with first responders. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama walks across the tarmac to greet people as he arrives on Air Force One, Sunday, May 26, 2013, at Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City, Okla., en route to the Moore, Okla., to see the response to the severe tornadoes and weather that devastated the area. He will also visit with the families affected, and with first responders. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama greets people on the tarmac as he arrives Sunday, May 26, 2013, at Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City, Okla., en route to the Moore, Okla., to see the response to the severe tornadoes and weather that devastated the area. He will also visit with the families affected, and first responders. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Barack Obama is greeted by Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin as he arrives Sunday, May 26, 2013, at Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City, Okla., en route to the Moore, Okla., to see the response to the severe tornadoes and weather that devastated the area. He will also visit with the families affected, and first responders. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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MOORE, Okla. (AP) — President Barack Obama flew to tornado-stricken Oklahoma Sunday to offer both moral and monetary support to a community facing an enormous reconstruction challenge while still reeling from the loss of lives, property and neighborhoods.

The White House said Obama wanted a firsthand look at recovery from the monstrous EF5 tornado that barreled through last Monday afternoon. The president was visiting with affected families and thanking first responders in the devastated town of Moore, about 10 miles from Oklahoma City.

Obama’s motorcade passed past grassy fields strewn with scattered debris. He saw devastation so awesome that it appeared as if garbage had literally rained from the sky. The president’s first stop was the demolished site of the Plaza Towers Elementary School, where seven students were killed when the tornado turned the one-story building into a heap of bricks, broken concrete and twisted metal.

Obama flew from Washington into Tinker Air Force Base and shook hands with personnel whose homes off base were lost or damaged. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, the first to greet the president as he got off the plane, said Sunday that her message to Obama is that she appreciates the visit, but the state also needs quick action from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help the ravaged town of 41,000 people.

The Republican governor said so far, the agency has done a great job of speeding relief and cash assistance to affected families, but she’s concerned about the long run.

“There’s going to come a time when there’s going to be a tremendous amount of need once we begin the debris clearing, which we already have, but really get it cleared off to where we need to start rebuilding these homes, rebuilding these businesses,” she said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” ”And we know at different times in the past, money hasn’t come always as quickly as it should.”

Obama offered prayers for residents from the White House in recent days and has promised to support the rebuilding for as long as it takes. “They have suffered mightily this week,” Obama said Wednesday. “And while the road ahead will be long, their country will be with them every single step of the way.”

White House spokesman Josh Earnest, speaking to reporters accompanying the presidential party on Air Force One, said Obama wanted to make the trip to offer condolences and reiterate his and the nation’s commitment to rebuild.

“This is the greatest nation on Earth, and we’re going to dedicate this nation’s time, attention, resources and expertise to help our people in their time of urgent crisis,” the spokesman said.

Earnest touted the federal contributions so far, including Obama’s signing of a disaster declaration within hours of the storm to speed aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Earnest said that 450 FEMA personnel were working on the ground in Oklahoma and have delivered 43,000 meals, 150,000 liters of water and thousands of cots, blankets and tarps. He said 4,200 people have applied for disaster assistance, and $ 3.4 million in payments have been approved.

Fallin said the money is particularly vital for the victims. “A lot of people lose their checkbooks, they lose their credit cards, they lose their driver’s license, their birth certificates, their insurance papers, they lose everything, and they have no cash. And some of the banks were even hit, the ATM machines, so people need cash to get immediate needs,” she said on CBS.

Earnest also said that forecasters from the National Weather Service had worked ahead of the storm to prepare communities that it threatened. He said they issued a warning 36 minutes before the tornado entered Moore, earlier than the 12-minute average warning. Twenty-four people perished in the tornado, including 10 children.

“These advancements, made by government scientists in the field of weather forecasting at these agencies are dramatic and they’re saving lives,” Earnest said. He said Sunday wasn’t a day for a partisan political debate, adding that “it is evident to any impartial observer here what an important role the federal government can play in providing assistance to our people at their time of urgent need.”

Among the tornado victims were 10 children, including two sisters pulled by the strong winds out of their mother’s grasp, an infant who died along with his mother trying to ride out the storm in a convenience store and seven students at Plaza Towers. Many students were pulled from the rubble after the school was destroyed.

Fallin noted that some 100 other schools in Oklahoma have safe rooms for children to seek shelter in tornados.

“Schools that have been lost in the past, many of them have rebuilt rooms of some sort as a safe room in their school, and we’re certainly going to encourage that,” she said.

“Any death is very unfortunate, but it’s truly incredible that we had only 24 deaths at this site, because if you look at all the debris field and how wide it is, I don’t know how anybody survived this tornado,” she said on CBS.

The White House said that FEMA has already provided $ 57 million in rebates and incentives to help build about 12,000 storm shelters in Oklahoma. “These storm shelters can be the difference between life and death,” Earnest said.

___

Follow Nedra Pickler on Twitter at https://twitter.com/nedrapickler

Associated Press

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Obama flies to Oklahoma to console tornado victims