Doctor urges government, police to shun violence against protesters after serious injuries
A pro-democracy doctor, Tosaporn Sererak, has demanded that the government stop using dangerous actions towards protesters, as was done during a demonstration last Tuesday at the Kiak Kai intersection in Bangkok.
On Monday, the doctor spoke at the Pheu Thai Party headquarters on the effects of the government action against demonstrators at the intersection. He was accompanied by some of those injured on November 17.
Tosaporn did not reveal the total number of people injured. He classified the injuries into three types: those who were shot, those who inhaled chemicals, and those who suffered burns due to the chemicals.
On November 17, some people were shot by royalists during the conflict between the two groups, after police suddenly abandoned the barriers that separated the two groups. The doctor stated that two people were shot in the legs, and one was shot in the stomach and the sides.
The worst injuries were suffered by a person who suffered a broken bone after being hit by a bullet on the left leg.
“Luckily the bullet did not reach the aorta, or he would have died,” the doctor said.
During the protest, police used tear gas to prevent demonstrators from approaching their barriers.
Tosaporn said that those who inhaled the chemical suffered difficulties in breathing. Some of them were coughing for days after the event.
The strong chemical solution was not only dangerous to the respiratory system, but even the protesters' bodies. The doctor explained that burns caused by the chemical-mixed solution would damage both the epidermis and dermis, and make it is easier for viruses to enter the human bodies via their weakened skin.
Tosaporn urged the government, as well as the police, not to commit violence against the people. He urged people injured from the demonstration to inform Pheu Thai Party on telephone No. 02-653-4000 or 02-653-4001.