Thais attack tourists with water

As revellers splashed each other with water and daubed their faces with clay, it was hard to believe three days earlier Bangkok's most famous tourist street had been the scene of deadly clashes.

Thai protestors and foreign visitors alike ran around Khaosan Road brandishing water guns, close to a memorial for the victims of the weekend's violence that left 21 dead and more than 800 hurt. They came to celebrate the New Year water festival, a three-day annual event held as tropical summer starts.

But this year's "Songkran" was nearly abandoned after the country's bloodiest civil unrest in 18 years erupted on Saturday as security forces attempted to end a month of rallies by anti-government "Red Shirts".

Budget travellers said their spirits had not been dampened by the political violence.

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