The Red Shirts demonstrators who are trying to bring down the government of prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, threw stones, used slingshots and launched fireworks at the government troops.
Seven people were killed and over 100 injured today in Thailand after troops fired on the "Red Shirt" protesters in the heart of the capital Bangkok, who are trying to bring down the government of embattled prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Several hotels, embassies and malls in the Thai capital Bangkok remained closed as security forces fired at protestors in a bid to reclaim the streets of Bangkok from the anti-government Red Shirts, who have laid siege in the heart of the downtown area.
Seven people were killed and over 100 were injured in the clashes between the troops and the anti-government protestors, reports emanating from the Thai capital said.
The Red Shirts demonstrators who are trying to bring down the government of prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, threw stones, used slingshots and launched fireworks at the government troops.
Three media persons, one of them a Canadian with the France 24 TV channel, were shot and wounded while covering the clash between the opposition and government forces.
Soldiers used tear gas against the demonstrators, who set fire to piles of tyres in the road, torched an empty police bus and vandalised army vehicles as well as using a water cannon in their efforts to disrupt the lock down.
The forced closure of hotels and malls has resulted in billions of dollars of losses and the economy took the brunt of the anti-government protests.
Anna Khendry, an Indian national who lives in Bangkok said that parts of the main Sukhumvit road looked like a village with hundreds of thousands of Red Shirts, supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, taking over the area.
She said several schools, hotels and malls had remained shut fearing the unpredictability of the protesters.
The latest clashes come a day after rogue Thai General Khattiya Sawasdipol, known popularly as Seh Daeng (Commander Red), was shot in the head by an unidentified sniper.
He is stated to be in a serious condition in hospital. The protesters have been occupying parts of Bangkok for more than two months.
Supporters of Shinawatra who wear Red Shirts, want prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections.
Though Abhisit has offered to hold polls in November, the two sides have so far failed to agree a deal.
A Canadian reporter is among three journalists shot in Bangkok today. Thai troops used bullets and tear gas to disperse protesters from the nearby US and Japanese embassies.
Violence surrounding the protests has resulted in three people dying and 69 others wounded. Canadian reporter Nelson Rand and two other journalists were among those wounded in the Thai capital today.
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