Riot policemen separate the two sides of clashes in Bangkok, capital of Thailand, early Sept. 2, 2008. Fierce clashes erupted between thousands of pro-government and anti-government protestors in Bangkok early Sept. 2, leaving at least three people dead and more than 20 others injured. [Photo: Xinhua]

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Tuesday morning declared state of emergency in Bangkok following violent clashes between the pro and anti- government protesters in early morning.

Samak explained at a press conference which began at 9:00 a.m. (0200 GMT) at the Supreme Command headquarters that the violent clashes this early morning has waken him up and prompted him to make the declaration.

In his usual plain and straightforward style, the premier said the government has been very tolerant towards the anti-government protesters in the past few days, but he now had to rely on the military and the police to solve the problems.

He apologized to the public for inconvenience to be resulted from enforcement of emergency decree, which will be in place for some time before the situation get controlled, and called for people's cooperation. He also assured that people's normal living and working would not be greatly affected.

The premier said it took him two hours to consult officials and prepare documents for the declaration after he got new about the violent incidents when sleeping.

Samak made the declaration to impose the Emergency Decree at 7: 00 a.m. Tuesday (2400 GMT, Monday) through TV pool and radio broadcasters nationwide, after confrontations between pro- government demonstrators led by the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD) and anti-government protesters led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) left at least one person dead and dozens injured during the first two hours of Tuesday near the Government House compound, which the PAD supporters have occupied since Aug. 26.

Samak had cited disturbances to law and order in the capital brought by some groups as the reason to enforce the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations in Bangkok.

Samak said he as Prime Minister had the right to do so regardless of what others would think of him. He also expressed disappointment at Sunday's urgent-called parliament session, which aimed to sort out a peaceful solution for the political turmoil but turned out a blame game on each other.

"Some people at the Parliament just ignored the fact that some groups were causing disturbances to law and order in the country, "said Samak, implicating senators and opposition MPs who criticized his government for instigating the political tension at Sunday's session.

A committee headed by the Army Commander-in-Chief will be in charge of enforcing the emergency decree in Bangkok.

According to related laws, the imposition of emergency decree means security in the capital will be immediately taken over by the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), headed by premier Samak and practically run by the army.

The state of emergency prohibits gathering of more than five people.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration announced later that the 436 schools in Bangkok will be closed for three days.

This is the first time enforcement of the Emergency Law since the new Constitution was passed last year by the junta which governed the country after the Sept. 19, 2006 bloodless military coup that ousted then elected premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

A DAAD spokesman immediately said that they would follow the law and end its rally at Sanam Luang (Royal Field) in central Bangkok, while the PAD vowed to carry on their protest.

One PAD core leader Chamlong Srimuang quickly took the rally stage inside the Government House compound shortly after Samak declared a state of emergency, telling the PAD supporters to remain at the rally site.

He assured the protesters, many of them women and senior-aged persons, of their safety and liberty, saying that Samak could only arrest the PAD leaders at most by imposing the emergency law. " There won't be enough prisons for us."

The PAD leaders also called on supporters in the South to shut down the airports in the tourist hubs Hat Yai and Phuket.

PAD supporters already stormed the two airports and another one in southern resort Krabi last Friday, causing temporary closure of the airports, suspension and cancellation of many flights, and left many passengers, including hundreds of foreign tourists, stranded at the airport or forced to take other transportation means to get back to their countries. The Hat Yai and Phuket airports resumed operation later.

After the early morning clashes occurred, which has seen nearly 40 people injured and at least one confirmed dead, the First Army Region despatched four companies of soldiers, at about 400, to help riot police quell the unrest on an order by Army Chief Gen Anupong Paojinda.

Thousands of police from Bangkok were also deployed to the clash site.

Violence broke when the DAAD-led pro-government protesters led by the Democrat Alliance, estimated at some 3,000 people, marched after midnight towards the Government House, which has been occupied by PAD protesters since Aug. 26 in its showdown attempt to oust the Samak cabinet.

Editor: Yan