Thai protests

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said clashes between anti-government protesters and government forces in Thailand are threatening to deteriorate into "chaos and violence."

Westerwelle told reporters on Wednesday that he was alarmed by the reports coming from the Thai capital, Bangkok, and called on both sides to act with "caution and restraint."

"Now, this applies to everyone: the country's slide into chaos and violence must be avoided," Westerwelle said.

Curfews and travel advisories

Westerwelle said that no German citizens were known to be among the more than 70 dead or nearly 2,000 injured.

The German Foreign Affairs Ministry advised against travel to Bangkok and northern Thailand, and said those already there should not leave their accommodation. The travel warnings do not apply to the country's south, where most of the tourist resorts and beaches are located. Germans who must travel to Thailand are asked to register themselves with the ministry before leaving or via its website.

Meanwhile, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, also called for a peaceful solution to the conflict.

"Thailand enters now a period where national reconciliation is not simply an option, it is absolutely mandatory," Buzek, a Polish MP, said in a statement on Wednesday. "Too much blood has been spilled on the streets of Bangkok."

Power struggle

Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters, known as the Red Shirts, took over several streets in Bangkok's downtown in early April. Most of the Red Shirts are supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed in a 2006 coup and who has been living in exile to avoid being jailed on corruption charges. April's demonstrations devolved into riots and fighting against soldiers who were called in to quell the protests.

The latest military offensive has killed at least six people, including an Italian journalist, and injured 59. Protesters have set fire to at least 18 buildings in Bangkok, including banks, a television station, the stock exchange and one of Southeast Asia's largest shopping centers.

The Thai government has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew and media blackout in Bangkok and other provinces, about a third of the country. Foreigners and people who have to travel at night can proceed after showing their passports and tickets at government checkpoints.

svs/AFP/apn/dpa/Reuters
Editor: Martin Kuebler