
Bangkok under state of emergency after protesters storm parliament
Top Story: Thai Prime Minsiter Abhisit Vejjajjiva declared a state of emergency after anti-government protesters broke into the parliament building forcing lawmakers to escape by helicopter or by scaling down the buildings walls. The military has been granted extensive powers to control the growing unrest.
The so-called "red-shirt" protesters -- supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra -- want Abhisit to call new elections and have occupied central Bankok for weeks, holding mass demonstrations and participating in sometimes outrageous publicity stunt like splashing gallons of their own blood on government buildings.
Abhisit, who has come under fire for his inability to quell the unrest, addressed the nation with a televised statement on Tuesday, saying, "The Cabinet has decided to declare state of emergency in Bangkok and nearby provinces Our goal is to restore normalcy."
The state of emergency gives the military authorization to suspend certain civil liberties if necessary and allows to to ban public gatherings of more than five people.
Nukes: The Obama adminsitration released its long-awaited Nuclear Posture Review, which limits the situations in which the United States can use nuclear weapons.
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-By Joshua Keating | ![]() |
STR/AFP/Getty Images
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