Bangkok - Fitch downgraded Thailand's sovereign and local currency credit ratings Thursday in the wake of street violence and political upheaval earlier this week.

The credit agency lowered Thailand's long-term sovereign, or country, credit rating to BBB from its previous BBB+ status and its baht currency ratings to A- from A.

Bangkok  - Human Rights Watch on Thursday urged the Thai government to set up an independent commission to investigate recent politically-motivated violence "by all sides," including those responsible for this week's mayhem and last year's protests.

Thailand has been wracked by street protests for almost a year now, starting with the demonstrations led by the yellow-shirted People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) that began in May 2008, and culminated with the closure of Bangkok's two airports for a week in November-December.

Bangkok (Thailand), Apr. 14 : Thailand’s opposition United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), which is also known as the `Red Shirt’, has ended its standoff outside Government House here against the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Two red-shirt core leaders, Veera Musikhapong and Suporn Uttawong, surrendered to police on Tuesday after they told their protesting supporters to disperse.

Bangkok - Anti-government protestors in the Thai capital said Tuesday they were to defy the authorities by remaining dug in outside the seat of government at Bangkok in the face of an army crackdown. The capital was quiet as troops continued to consolidate their positions around the remaining 5,000 protestors loyal to fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was overthrown in a September 2006 military coup.