Army moves in on Bangkok protests

Security forces in Thailand have tightened their grip on a hard core of anti-government protesters surrounding official buildings in Bangkok.

After an uneasy calm settled on the city overnight, soldiers have been warning them to leave, reports say.

At least two people died in a day of clashes on Monday.

Red-shirted protesters are demanding the resignation of PM Abhisit Vejjajiva - but he has refused and is urging them to go home.

Monday saw a dramatic escalation of violence on the streets, after days of protest by supporters of ousted PM Thakin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a coup in 2006.

Soldiers were seen firing their guns into the air and into the crowds, while protesters burnt buses and threw firebombs in retaliation.

Two people were killed in clashes which apparently did not involve security forces but the protesters and rival groups of disgruntled citizens. Dozens have been injured.

Die-hard

The BBC's Jonathan Head, in the city, says troops backed by armoured vehicles are now moving in on the last group of anti-government protesters around Government House.

He says there are thought to be some 2-3,000 die-hard protesters who have barricaded themselves in, and they are hugely outnumbered.

He says this appears to be a final push to end the current crisis, but it is not yet clear how much of a fight protesters are prepared to put up.

Earlier, some in the camp told the BBC they were prepared to "fight to the death".

In pictures: Thai crackdown Britons warned off Bangkok travel

Mr Abhisit has said he will not negotiate with Mr Thaksin and that the country was facing a "do-or-die" moment for the rule of law.

He told Reuters: "I do listen to the concerns of some people who have joined the 'red shirts' in terms of democratic developments."

"In particular, if they are not satisfied with the constitution, if they think there may be some injustice in the system, I am happy to address those," he said.

But he said that dissolving parliament and calling elections could lead to further instability.

'More deaths'

The prime minister confirmed that two local people had been killed in the violence.

Thaksin on protests in Thailand

But there have been unsubstantiated claims from some of the protesters that more that two people were killed in yesterday's fighting.

"Many 'red shirts' have been killed," said Wannee Sathit, a protester speaking from inside the camp near Government House.

"The army has taken the dead bodies away."

In a BBC interview on Monday, the ousted Mr Thaksin said the situation in Thailand was one of "very brutal suppression".

He called for a "peaceful revolution", saying the protesters "come with bare hands".

"They come with peace, they are asking for a true democracy for all," he said.

But our correspondent says the red shirts have largely lost popular support after the violence and destruction of Monday and are greatly outnumbered by the military with little change of keeping the protests going.

Under the current state of emergency, gatherings of more than five people can be banned, media reports can be censored and the army can be deployed to help police maintain order.

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Tech Mahindra Wins Bid to Control Satyam

NEW DELHI — Tech Mahindra, a joint venture between British Telecom and the Indian conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra, stands to win control of Satyam Computer Services after a bid that values the fraud-damaged company at $1.2 billion.

Tech Mahindra was the highest bidder for Satyam, with a 58 rupee, or $1.16, per share bid, for 31 percent of the company, Satyam said Monday. The offer beats a bid from the Indian engineering firm Larsen & Toubro, which already owns a 12 percent stake in Satyam.

Tech Mahindra will later make an offer for an additional 20 percent of Satyam’s shares on the open market, which will give it a controlling stake.

“The selection of the highest bidder, in a fair, open and transparent process, signals a new stage for the company in its progress towards stabilization and growth,” said Kiran Karnik, chairman of Satyam’s board. “We hope this will infuse greater confidence and comfort amongst customers.”

The American vulture investor Wilbur Ross and Cognizant Technologies, which is based in Teaneck, New Jersey, also did due diligence on Satyam, though was unclear if they made a bid for the company.

Satyam was one of India’s largest information technology companies, with more than 50,000 employees and a market capitalization of over $7 billion, before one of the company’s founders said in January he had faked about $1 billion in cash and inflated the company’s operating margins. Indian investigators have since said that more than a dozen people in the company’s finance department were involved in the fraud, including a team who churned out fake invoices and bank statements.

Satyam serves as the back office and information technology provider for hundreds of the world’s largest companies, including Nestlé and General Electric. The Indian government took control of the company and pushed through a quick sale, in order to prevent losses in the country’s $71 billion outsourcing industry.

Tech Mahindra, which provides information technology services to the telecom industry, has less than half the workforce of Satyam. More than half of the company’s business is serving one client, British Telecom, which owns a minority stake in Tech Mahindra. The deal would bring Tech Mahindra business in new industries from manufacturing to financial services.

“Tech Mahindra has a broader plan for expansion,” said Sudin Apte, an analyst with Forrester Research in Pune. The winning bidder is seeing an “opportunity, rather than just taking over Satyam’s clients,” he said.

India’s Company Law Board needs to review the bid and approve the transaction.

The deal sent Satyam shares 6.5 percent higher to 50.4 rupees in India early Monday afternoon. Shares in Tech Mahindra were up more than 13 percent, to trade at 41.95 rupees.

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Latest News: N.H. fire destroys 50 buildings

More than 50 fire departments responded to a fire yesterday at a conference center in Alton, N.H. (AP Photo/ Roger Amsden)

ALTON, N.H. - About 50 structures were destroyed and four firefighters were injured in a multiple-alarm blaze yesterday at the Alton Bay Christian Conference Center.

It was not clear where the fire started, but two cottages were reported burning about 4:30 p.m. and strong wind caused the fire to spread quickly, officials at the scene said. The fire was put out by about 9 p.m.

"The fire burned through four streets and left firefighters with skeleton crews because there was so much burning," said K.G. Lockwood, chief of the Gilmanton Fire Department, which responded along with more than 50 other fire departments, with crews coming from as far as Hooksett and Dover.

Officials from the Alton Fire Department were not available for comment last night.

Firetrucks were parked bumper-to-bumper along Riverlake Street, and hoses snaked through intersections as firefighters hurried from site to site.

"It was terribly, terribly windy, which really took everything out in a hurry," said Dale Schaeffner, who oversees facilities and maintenance at the conference center.

Schaeffner said staff in the conference center's main building worked last night to prepare an Easter supper for the crews who fought the blaze.

There was a small worship service held yesterday morning, but very few people were at the conference center when the afternoon fire started, officials said.

"It was a tremendous blessing," said Russ Sample, a volunteer staff member at the conference center. "Had this happened eight weeks later [during the busier summer season], all these buildings could have been full."

Many of the buildings, which are mostly privately owned residential cottages, were unoccupied, and there were no reports of civilian injuries last night. Fire officials at the scene said at least four firefighters were injured, bur they did not have details.

"It's very scary," said Brian Mitchell, an Alton resident whose business and home occupy a 160-year-old building near the site. He helped neighbors fight the fire using hoses and buckets. "We just kept rushing to fill up buckets," said Mitchell.

Between 10 and 15 propane tanks ignited during the fire, causing explosions that looked "like a small atomic bomb had gone off," Mitchell said. Nearby brush also was ablaze.

In 2003, four cottages at the conference center were destroyed in a fire. The conference center, which was founded in 1863, has 175 cottages on its premises.

Yesterday's fire forced the closure of part of Route 11 in Alton. The New Hampshire Electric Cooperative reported that more than 2,000 customers in Alton and Gilford had lost power because of the fire.

Service was expected to be restored by early today, according to data posted on the utility company's website.

The state fire marshal is due to begin an investigation this morning into the cause of the fire.

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