By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 4:19 PM on 13th April 2009
A man has been killed in Bangkok today as roughly 5,000 protesters took on the Thai army in violent demonstrations against the government.
The eruption of violence in Bangkok has prompted the UK Foreign Office to warn against travel to the capital.
Minister Sathit Wongnongtoey said the fighting is happening around a market between area residents and hundreds of red-shirted anti-government protesters.
A Thai soldier chases an anti-government protester with baton the demonstrations in Bangkok today
He told a local television station that said two people had been wounded in the confrontation. The fighting took place near the protesters' stronghold outside the prime minister's offices.
Dr. Chatri Charoenchivakul of the official Erawan Emergency Coordination Center said the victim was shot in the chest and two other people were wounded by gun shots.
The death came amid claims the Thai army was firing hundreds of rounds of live ammunition - some into crowds - in a desperate attempt to contain the mass anti-government riots.
The army fired on protesters forcing them to abandon a blockade of a key traffic junction in a first show of strength since an emergency was declared.
Thai firefighters train a hose on a burning bus after anti-government protesters set up the roadblock and set the bus ablaze during the protest today
The red-shirted protesters had torched a bus and thrown scores of Molotv cocktails at security forces faced off at Din Daeng junction before the army finally retaliated, witnesses said.
Bangkok Medical Centre director Peeraphong Saicheau said 77 people were injured in clashes at the junction, which began just before dawn. Two civilians and two soldiers had gunshot wounds.
The junction is a crucial part of Bangkok's traffic system, although Monday is the start of a three-day holiday for the Thai New Year and many people have already left for the provinces.
Financial markets are shut until Thursday because of the holiday.
A soldier carries guns and a rose in his backpack as he helps clear the blockaded road after troops fired on protesters
Soldiers aim water at a blazing bus that formed part of the blockade at the intersection this morning
Troops moved in with water cannon after protesters loyal to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra poured some kind of fuel on the road, threatening to set it ablaze if soldiers acted.
They eventually pushed the protesters out of the junction, detaining several and stripping them of their trademark red shirts.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday declared a state of emergency, ordering soldiers and armoured vehicles on to the streets.
But red-shirted anti-government protesters went unchecked, with angry mobs roaming parts of the capital, some commandeering public buses to barricade major intersections.
Thai army soldiers capture an anti-government protester who tried to drive a bus into their lines during pitched battles on the streets of Bangkok today
Defiant protesters confront police as the violence escalates
Dozens of men furiously smashed cars thought to be carrying the prime minister as he fled the interior ministry after making the emergency decree.
They used poles, a ladder and even flower pots to smash the cars as nearby police in riot gear stood by doing nothing.
Today, up to 49 people were injured in pre-dawn clashes between soldiers and protesters, according to an emergency centre.
The Foreign Office urged anyone considering a trip to the capital or its surrounding areas to 'urgently review their plans'.
British ambassador to Thailand Quinton Quayle told Sky News: 'As the situation is so volatile we are advising British travellers thinking of coming to Bangkok to urgently review their travel plans.
Supporters of ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra force their way past soldiers as the glass door shatters
An anti-government protester waves a flag as tyres burn behind him in Bangkok yesterday
'British residents and visitors to Bangkok are advised to avoid any areas where demonstrations are taking place and to stay indoors as far as possible.'
Singapore, Australia, France, South Korea and Canada have also issued warnings advising citizens against traveling to the region and those already there to stay indoors.
The state of emergency is supposed to ban gatherings of more than five people and forbid reporting that is considered threatening to public order.
But following its introduction, ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra called for a revolution.
A Buddhist monk talks to a soldier keeping watch over supporters of ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra
An injured protester is led away by a Thai soldier after a crackdown at Victory Monument in central Bangkok
'Now that they have tanks on the streets, it is time for the people to come out in revolution. And when it is necessary, I will come back to the country,' he said in a telephoned message to followers who surrounded the prime minister's office.
Demonstrators say the prime minister's four-month-old government took power illegitimately.
'It's apparent that we will be surrounded and suppressed by military force. Tear gas and military personnel have been prepared. So we told our people to be ready and be prepared,' said Jakrapop Penkair, a key protest leader.
Two women backed by a sea of protesters face off against Thai soldiers armed with M16 guns in central Bangkok today
Protesters plea for soldiers not to use violence against them outside Government House in Bangkok today
'If they use force, the people will be our weapon. We are not scared. Abhisit must be ousted immediately.'
Prime Minister Abhisit suffered a political humiliation when the summit he had presented as a sign of the country's return to normality had to be cancelled after red-shirted supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin broke into the venue, sending Asian leaders fleeing by helicopter.
Thaksin's supporters say Abhisit only became premier because of a parliamentary stitch-up engineered by the army. They want new elections, which they would be well placed to win.
They believe the military, judiciary and other unelected officials are undermining democracy by interfering in politics.
The Tourism Council of Thailand predicted the country would lose at least 200 billion baht (5.6 billion US dollars) as foreign tourists avoided the country.
That could lead to 200,000 jobs lost at hotels and other travel businesses.
The Prime Minister's driver is injured as they escape the interior ministry after protestors break through security
Demonstrators attack the Prime minister's secretary Niphon Prompan
Trees and street signs are flung towards the car by protestors as the Prime Minister flees the interior ministry
About 812,000 British nationals visited Thailand in 2008, according to the Thai tourism authority.
The country is a magnet for Brits seeking a mix of adventure, culture, beaches and sun.
Advice on the FCO website read: 'In view of the deteriorating security situation anyone considering going to Bangkok should urgently review their plans.
'British residents in, and visitors to, Bangkok are advised to avoid any areas where demonstrations are taking place and to stay indoors as far as possible.'
The FCO estimates that 40,000 British nationals live in Thailand.
Soldiers drive their tanks on the road in Bangkok as protests grow over 'rigged' elections
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