Jan. 30
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej
stepped in to calm rising anti-Cambodian sentiment in Bangkok
Thursday after hundreds of Thais were airlifted out of Phnom
Penh following riots there. Police General Sant Sarutanonda told an angry mob of about
1,000 people gathered outside the Cambodian embassy in central
Bangkok that he had received a call from a royal secretary
conveying the king's call for calm.
"Thais are now heroes in the perception of the
international community, we should not act like bandits," Sant
told the rally quoting royal secretary Arsa Sarasin.
Protesters began gathering outside the Cambodian embassy
earlier in the day after seeing news pictures of Cambodian
demonstrators stamping on a portrait of the revered king, the
world's longest reigning monarch.
Anti-Thai riots spread through the Cambodian capital
overnight as angry mobs torched the Thai embassy there and
destroyed Thai-owned businesses.
photo credit and caption:
A Cambodian military policeman walks past a damaged car on the grounds of the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh January 30, 2003. Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej stepped in to calm rising anti-Cambodian sentiment in Bangkok after hundreds of Thais were airlifted out of Phnom Penh following riots there. Photo by Chor Sokunthea/Reuters
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