5 Hurt As Thai Protesters Clash With Police In Bangkok

At least five people were injured as Thai protesters clashed with police in Bangkok during the weekend, as they demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha over his handling of the COVID-19 response, Kyodo News reported.

Photo Insert: Anti-government protesters gathered in Bangkok

The clash occurred while the protesters set out on a 3-kilometer march from the Victory Monument to the residence of Prayut located inside the camp of the First Infantry Regiment in northern Bangkok.

Police fired tear gas to stop the people who joined the protest by ignoring a ban on gathering by more than five people amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The injured -- three policemen and two protesters -- were sent to hospitals in the capital, according to the reports. Around 1,200 people joined the march, police said.

The protesters led by student groups called for the government led by Prayut to resign, and cut budgets of defense and the palace for use in vaccination procurement.

They blamed the government for failing to contain a surge in coronavirus cases and purchasing Chinese vaccines which they claim are inefficient in tackling the virus.

The Southeast Asian country, where the highly contagious Delta variant is spreading rapidly, reported 21,838 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, its highest daily increase since the start of the pandemic early last year, with a record single-day death tally of 212.

WEEKLY FEATURE : PAL READY TO SOAR WITH PANDEMIC