At least 36 hurt in blast at Bangkok opposition rally

At least 36 people were injured in Bangkok today when a blast hit an anti-government protest march demanding the ouster of Thailand's Premier Yingluck Shinawatra, in the latest unrest during an opposition-imposed "shutdown" of the capital.

The blast occurred at the rally led by opposition leader Suthep Thaugsuban, head of the People's Democratic Reforms Committee (PDRC). He escaped unhurt, but the incident further raised fears of violence in the run up to the 2 February snap polls.

"When the incident happened and perpetrators threw the explosive. Suthep was 30 metres away," Akanat Promphan, a spokesman for the movement, said. Security guards whisked him away to an unknown location.

The Erawan Emergency Centre, which monitors Bangkok hospitals, said 36 people were being treated for injuries caused by the blast at Banthat Thong.

The bomb, either an improvised explosive or a giant firecracker, went off as protesters were passing along the street near an intersection, damaging a pick-up truck. PDRC security officers said the explosive was lobbed from a nearby three-storey building.

Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha said an armed group might be behind sporadic attacks launched during the anti-government protests in Bangkok. Military police rushed to the scene to inspect the explosion.

The army sent soldiers to help police and the protesters conduct security patrols, and appointed military medical units to be on standby at rally venues.

Around 12,000 protesters were on the streets during the attack. That is a fraction of an estimated 170,000 people who gathered on Monday to launch a "shutdown" of the capital in their latest bid to force the 46-year-old premier from office.

Protesters, who seek to rein in the political dominance of the Shinawatra clan in the country, allege that the Yingluck regime is controlled by her fugitive brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted in a coup in 2006. They want to install an un-elected "people's council" to carry out reforms before the 2 February polls.

Yingluck, however, remained defiant and said that the easy way to oust her would be to cast the ballot in the general elections, as unconstitutional ways could not fix the problems. She said if the country could pass through the elections, the political conflict would be over.