Red shirts block highways leading to Bangkok

Yesterday, they used trailer trucks to block all inbound Mittraphrab lanes in Khon Kaen province after roadblocks had already been set up, causing a standstill stretching for kilometres. They later apprehended a group of police officers using unarmed methods.

Roadblocks and the red shirts' unauthorised search of vehicles are commonplace and motorists had no choice but to pull over when hailed and let them search through vehicles. In cases where they refused to pull over, red shirts would swarm over their vehicles and beat or damage the vehicles until they stopped.

Road blockades had been reported in Samut Sakhon, Phetchabun, Chachoengsao, Lop Buri, Sara Buri Khon Kaen, with no resistance from police or soldiers. Only blockades in Phitsanulok province and on Paholyothin Roads in Pathum Thani-Rangsit area were successfully breached by border patrol police and soldiers.

Reports said police had dealt lightly with road blockades in the other provinces. In many incidents, red shirts and policemen were seen mingling or chatting to each other after initial confrontation.

Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship leaders praised the actions of red shirts in Khon Kaen who successfully blocked or slowed down troops travelling to Bangkok, dubbing it "the Khon Kaen model" in which all district chiefs complied with local red shirts' demands. Acting as the protesters' representatives, they later submitted open letters to the provincial governor asking him not to instruct civilian officials to stop red shirts from their anti-government activities.

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