A police spokesman on Friday insisted that the police would not use force to disperse the protesters who occupied the Government House in central Bangkok since Tuesday, and denied initial reports that they shot teargas at the crowd.
Initial reports by local media said that riot police fired teargas at protesters around Friday noon when trying to breaking through the barricades set up by protesters led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to block a gate of the Government House Friday morning.
The police managed to get into the compound and remove the barricades after a clash with the protesters who tried to stop the police from barriers. Some minor injuries were reported.
Deputy police spokesman Surapol Thuanthong later said that the police broke into the Government House to impose an injunction of the Civil Court on Wednesday, which ordered that PAD protesters move out of the Government House compound.
Legal execution officials had earlier placed the court's order at five entrances of the Government House to officially inform the protesters that they leave the compound immediately, but the PAD remained defiant and continued its rally inside the compound, which thousands of its supporters intruded and seized on Tuesday afternoon.
Related: Thai riot police fire tear gas to disperse protesters
(Xinhua News Agency August 29, 2008)
