BANGKOK (Dow Jones)--Thailand's anti-government protesters stormed a hospital to search for soldiers it suspected of hiding in the complex, which is located next to their main rally site in central Bangkok, The Nation newspaper reported Friday.
More than 200 so-called "Red Shirt" guards swept through Chulalongkorn Hospital for an hour in front of bewildered nurses and doctors before seizing two men and taking them to their rally stage. They were later released when they were identified as workers.
The search ended after negotiations between protesters and police, who agreed to allow them to check the hospital premises again Friday, the newspaper reported.
Thailand is reeling from the worst political violence in almost two decades. At least 27 people have died and almost 1,000 have been injured this month in a series of bloody confrontations between the government and the "Red Shirts" seeking its ouster.
Medical Council President Somsak Loklekha in a statement urged protesters not to block the entrance to the hospital, adding that it should not be used as a shield for political purposes.
"I hope Red Shirt leaders, like Dr. Weng Tojirakarn, will understand our purpose. No demonstration in any country in the world uses hospital premises to defeat the opposition," Somsak was quoted as saying.
Chulalongkorn Hospital will Friday close its outpatient and inpatient units because of the demonstrations. It has suspended surgery for emergency patients, The Nation reported.
The Nation Web site: www.nationmultimedia.com
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