BANGKOK - Thai security forces fought street battles with protesters in the heart of Bangkok, leaving 15 dead and hundreds injured in the country's bloodiest political violence in almost two decades.
A Japanese cameraman with the Reuters news agency was among those killed as the army launched a crackdown on "Red Shirt" supporters of fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, following almost a month of mass demonstrations.
Riot shields and pools of blood were left scattered around the city's old historic district near the Khaosan Road backpacker district, while ambulances ferried away casualties and injured soldiers were loaded onto pick up trucks.
The dead included 11 civilians and four soldiers, emergency services said, adding that about 680 people had been hurt, some by rubber bullets.
It was the country's worst political clashes since 1992 as, in Washington, the White House called for "restraint".
"The White House is closely monitoring the situation in Thailand and urges restraint by both protesters and security forces," National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said in a statement.
"We deplore this outbreak of political violence in Thailand, our long-term
friend and ally, and urge good-faith negotiations by the parties to resolve
outstanding issues through peaceful means."
Protesters hauled the dead bodies of two protesters draped in Thai flags
onto their rally stage in the old city.
The Red Shirts hurled rocks as troops tried to clear one of their two protest sites in the capital with tear gas, while gunshots echoed around the city. The army later retreated, calling for a truce with the demonstrators.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva offered his condolences for the deaths but refused to bow to the protesters' calls to resign.
"I and my government will continue to work to resolve the situation," he said in a televised address to the nation.
"Now the military has stopped the operation, while protesters have retreated to the rally site," he said.
The mostly poor and rural Reds accuse the government of being illegitimate because it came to power with military backing in 2008 after a court ousted Thaksin's allies from power.
Thousands more demonstrators were also refusing to leave another rally site in the main commercial district of the Thai capital, demanding Abhisit dissolve parliament.
"Abhisit must leave Thailand," Reds' leader Veera Musikapong told the crowd. "We ask all government officials to stop serving this government."
Abhisit invoked emergency rule Wednesday after the Reds stormed parliament, prompting lawmakers to flee. The embattled premier has insisted he will not cede to the Reds' demand to dissolve parliament for elections.
Tens of thousands of police and soldiers were mobilised to try to restore order, provoking an angry response from the red-clad movement.
"I want to condemn the government as they used weapons to kill Thai people who wanted democracy," one Reds' leader, Weng Tojirakarn, said from a rally stage set up in the commercial hub of Bangkok.
Arrest warrants have been issued for many of the top leaders of the red-clad movement, but so far none is reported to have been taken into custody.
In a series of blasts around the city, a grenade exploded near to Vejjajiva's office in Government House but there were no initial reports of injuries in that blast. Abhisit remained holed up at an army barracks.
The protests also spread to the northern city of Chiang Mai, where hundreds of Red Shirts massed outside a provincial hall chanting anti-government slogans.
Earlier, dozens of Reds tried to force their way into a military base in Bangkok but were repelled with water cannon. The army also deployed armoured personnel vehicles at some locations in the city.
The rallies are the latest chapter in years of political turmoil in Thailand pitting Bangkok's ruling elite against the mainly poor and rural Reds.
The country has been riven by political tensions since a bloodless coup ousted telecoms tycoon-turned-premier Thaksin in 2006. - AFP/fa
A Japanese cameraman with the Reuters news agency was among those killed as the army launched a crackdown on "Red Shirt" supporters of fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, following almost a month of mass demonstrations.
Riot shields and pools of blood were left scattered around the city's old historic district near the Khaosan Road backpacker district, while ambulances ferried away casualties and injured soldiers were loaded onto pick up trucks.
The dead included 11 civilians and four soldiers, emergency services said, adding that about 680 people had been hurt, some by rubber bullets.
It was the country's worst political clashes since 1992 as, in Washington, the White House called for "restraint".
"The White House is closely monitoring the situation in Thailand and urges restraint by both protesters and security forces," National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said in a statement.
"We deplore this outbreak of political violence in Thailand, our long-term
friend and ally, and urge good-faith negotiations by the parties to resolve
outstanding issues through peaceful means."
Protesters hauled the dead bodies of two protesters draped in Thai flags
onto their rally stage in the old city.
The Red Shirts hurled rocks as troops tried to clear one of their two protest sites in the capital with tear gas, while gunshots echoed around the city. The army later retreated, calling for a truce with the demonstrators.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva offered his condolences for the deaths but refused to bow to the protesters' calls to resign.
"I and my government will continue to work to resolve the situation," he said in a televised address to the nation.
"Now the military has stopped the operation, while protesters have retreated to the rally site," he said.
The mostly poor and rural Reds accuse the government of being illegitimate because it came to power with military backing in 2008 after a court ousted Thaksin's allies from power.
Thousands more demonstrators were also refusing to leave another rally site in the main commercial district of the Thai capital, demanding Abhisit dissolve parliament.
"Abhisit must leave Thailand," Reds' leader Veera Musikapong told the crowd. "We ask all government officials to stop serving this government."
Abhisit invoked emergency rule Wednesday after the Reds stormed parliament, prompting lawmakers to flee. The embattled premier has insisted he will not cede to the Reds' demand to dissolve parliament for elections.
Tens of thousands of police and soldiers were mobilised to try to restore order, provoking an angry response from the red-clad movement.
"I want to condemn the government as they used weapons to kill Thai people who wanted democracy," one Reds' leader, Weng Tojirakarn, said from a rally stage set up in the commercial hub of Bangkok.
Arrest warrants have been issued for many of the top leaders of the red-clad movement, but so far none is reported to have been taken into custody.
In a series of blasts around the city, a grenade exploded near to Vejjajiva's office in Government House but there were no initial reports of injuries in that blast. Abhisit remained holed up at an army barracks.
The protests also spread to the northern city of Chiang Mai, where hundreds of Red Shirts massed outside a provincial hall chanting anti-government slogans.
Earlier, dozens of Reds tried to force their way into a military base in Bangkok but were repelled with water cannon. The army also deployed armoured personnel vehicles at some locations in the city.
The rallies are the latest chapter in years of political turmoil in Thailand pitting Bangkok's ruling elite against the mainly poor and rural Reds.
The country has been riven by political tensions since a bloodless coup ousted telecoms tycoon-turned-premier Thaksin in 2006. - AFP/fa
