Thailand’s powerful military chief on Monday warned that the country will “collapse” as political violence escalated with attacks on anti-government rallies over the weekend that claimed the lives of three children.
A six-year-old girl died on Monday from bruising to the brain, the Ramathibodi Hospital said in a statement. Her brother died on Sunday from serious head wounds and internal bleeding. A five-year-old girl was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in eastern Trat province late Saturday while a 40-year-old woman was the fourth casualty who died from severe injuries inflicted by a bomb blast over the weekend.
The escalating violence, the latest flare up in nearly four months’ crisis, fuelled speculation that the army might once again roll out the tanks and step in to bring the country back from the brink of collapse.
But Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha said the military option is not a solution to the crisis. “If we use the wrong means, or the full use of military force, how can we ensure that the situation will end peacefullyIJ” he asked in a rare televised live speech.