Six riot police hurt in clash with protesters

WASSANA NANUAM

Songkhla _ Six police officers were injured in a clash with anti-gas pipeline project protesters who fiercely battled more than 200 police trying to disperse them on Monday night.

No injuries were reported among the protesters against the Thai-Malaysian gas pipeline project.

The brief clash occurred around 10pm when about 50 protesters tried to stop workers of Samsung Engineering (Thailand) Co, a project sub-contractor, from moving gas pipes unloaded from a ship off a beach at Ban Wang Ngu, tambon Taling Chan, to the construction site of a gas separation plant in Chana district.

The protesters later retreated to another area, about 800 metres away.

With the Oct 25 Tak Bai bloodshed still fresh on the mind of the authorities, the police exercised great care in their handling of the situation.

Forty riot policewomen were deployed to deal with Muslim women in the front line of protesters.

Protest leaders, however, accused the police of trying to use force against the protesting villagers.

Pol Col Surachai Suebsook, deputy chief of Songkhla police, said the protesters were ``gently'' pushed back despite the fact six police officers suffered head and eye injuries after they were hit by stones fired from slingshots and hurled by the protesters.

``I tried my best to use soft methods (of crowd handling) and avoid using violence because I did not want to see a repeat of incidents like those at Tak Bai in Narathiwat. Fortunately, there were no instigators among the protesters. We must be careful,'' said Pol Col Surachai.

However Subaidoh Phakaphet, a protest leader, insisted the police had used force to break up the protest.

The police seized and destroyed all protest placards and also tried to disperse by force the villagers who were Thai citizens just like they were, she said. It was fortunate, however, that none of the protesters was injured in the melee.

Yesterday morning, some 200 protestors, mostly Muslim women, marched from Larn Hoi Siab, about 1km away, back to the beach where the clash took place on Monday night.

They were blocked by some 300 police armed with batons, shields and other anti-riot equipment from approaching the ship unloading pipes.

The protesters hurled abuses and taunts at the police, who remained calm.

``I must be very patient and pretended I didn't hear what they said. I kept telling myself these villagers are also Thai. I tried not to listen to them so I would not get angry,'' said Pol L/Cpl Surasak Phetcharat, one of the riot police.

Pol Sgt-Maj Naratsamol Kaewsri, one of the 40 riot policewomen deployed there, said: ``This is my first confrontation with a mob. I feel excited and don't want to see any violence because we are all Thai.''

Pol Col Surachai said Samsung Engineering (Thailand) had asked Chana district officials for permission to move heavy material from the beach to the construction site, and it would start the work in two days after building a temporary bridge from the ship to the beach. The firm estimated the delay to its work was costing damage of 1.4 million baht a day.

Mrs Subaidoh said the villagers would continue their protest because the tambom administrative organisation confirmed on Monday it had never allowed the firm to use the area for transport of material to its construction site.