Thai protester in coma with bullet lodged in head after clashes with police

Demonstrations have gained momentum in recent weeks as groups who sought the Prime Minister’s removal last year have returned

A Thai anti-government protester is in a coma with a bullet lodged in his head, a hospital said on August 17, as police denied use of live ammunition to disperse demonstrations against the country's Prime Minister. A 20-year-old man was rushed to hospital on August 17 with a gunshot wound to his neck and needed reviving. He is now in a coma and an X-ray examination showed a bullet lodged close to his brain, Bangkok's Ratchawithi hospital said in a statement. A 14-year-old man suffered a gunshot wound on the shoulder, said a voluntary paramedic working with the protesters. At least six people were injured in clashes between the protesters and police near the residence of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on August 16, Bangkok's emergency service said. Police said they would investigate the violence, while adding that officers used non-lethal means to maintain law and order, because all forms of public gatherings were banned undercoronavirus restrictions. "The police did not use real guns," Bangkok Police Chief Pakapong Pongpetra told reporters.