Soldiers Patrol Central Bangkok to Crush Last Pockets of Resistance

Soldiers Patrol Central Bangkok to Crush Last Pockets of Resistance

Thailand picked up the pieces Friday after violence and mayhem triggered by a crackdown on anti-government protests, as the focus swung to recovery and reconciliation in a divided nation.

Soldiers patrolled across central Bangkok to crush the last pockets of resistance from militants in the "Red Shirts" movement, who went on the rampage after their leaders surrendered and ended their campaign of street rallies, AFP says.

Mr Abhisit said the government would "move swiftly to restore normalcy" following a week of violence which left more than 50 people dead.

Violence broke out last week as the army moved in to end a weeks-long protest by anti-government red-shirts, BBC News reports.