Crowd control police demonstrated their use of tear gas and insisted that no canisters could hit political protesters.
The tear gas demonstration responded to claims via social media that a protester was severely injured with a tear gas canister fired by police.
Pol Lt Col Sarayut Arunchai, deputy commander of the Crowds Control Division 1, said the tear gas demonstration proved that the metal canisters of tear gas remained in the barrels of launchers after shooting and thus they could not harm protesters.
Only blue plastic shells of tear gas were shot and they burnt automatically. Besides, police did not use explosive tear gas grenades that had been applied in 2008, he said. The tear gas type currently used was not harmful, he insisted.
Crowd control police would not fire tear gas directly at protesters but winds might affect the trajectories of tear gas shells, Pol Lt Col Sarayut said.
He said he had been hit with a tear gas shell in his head during a drill and it had caused only a bruise, not a cut.
Pol Lt Col Sarayut added that the barrels of tear gas launchers were for 38mm tear gas shells and had no spiral impressions. Therefore, the launchers could not be used to fire any bullet or grenade, he said. (TNA)
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