Thai riot police deployed to clear areas occupied by protesters

Anti-government demonstrators react as police officers clear a protest site near Government House in Bangkok on February 14, 2014. Thousands of riot police were deployed in the Thai capital on February 14 to clear areas occupied for weeks by opposition protesters seeking to force Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from office. AFP PHOTO / Pairoj

BANGKOK: Thousands of riot police were deployed in the Thai capital to clear areas occupied for weeks by opposition protesters, tearing down makeshift barricades around the besieged government headquarters.

The operation in Bangkok marked an unexpected shift in tactics by Prime Minister Yingluck Shina­watra’s government after months during which the demonstrators have often appeared to be more in control of the city than the authorities.