Thai protester shot during anti-government rally falls into coma

Bangkok, Aug 17 (EFE).- A Thai protester has fallen into a coma after he was shot in the head during anti-government demonstrations in Bangkok, medical sources reported Tuesday.

Thai police, however, denied firing live ammunition and said they only used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a protest near a police station in the central part of the capital on Monday.

Sources from Rajavithi hospital, to which the 20-year-old casualty was admitted late Monday, said that he had a bullet lodged near his brain.

Another 14-year-old boy was shot in the shoulder in the clashes between the police and a group of young protesters demanding the resignation of the country’s prime minister, Prayut Chan-ocha.

An investigation has been launched into the incidents, according to the Thai authorities.

The demonstrators have been rallying with increasing frequency and intensity in recent weeks amid mounting public anger over the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has had a severely damaging impact on Thailand’s tourism-reliant economy.

The protests are organized by student groups that took to the streets last year to demand reforms of the monarchy and the constitution.

Covid-19 infections and deaths have surged to record-breaking levels since an outbreak in April, the worst the country has seen since the start of the pandemic.

The surge in cases has prompted the government to impose restrictions in Bangkok and 28 other provinces, including a night curfew, limiting gatherings to five people and the closure of restaurants and malls among others.EFE

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