Two dead, hundreds injured in Thai protests
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An anti-government demonstrator runs away from riot police in Bangkok (Reuters: Chaiwat Subpraso)
A Thai woman has died in Bangkok from wounds sustained in clashes between police and anti-government protesters.
Hundreds have been injured in the violence.
The woman reportedly died of chest wounds.
She was caught in one of a series of tear gas attacks near the national parliament building.
Most of the injured were protesters struck by shrapnel from tear gas canisters.
Last night the police continued to fire tear gas into the crowd in a bid to break up what seems to be an escalating anti-government movement.
Three military units from the Army, the Navy and the Air Force have been sent in to provide backup for the police.
But the unarmed soldiers showed no desire to disperse the thousands of demonstrators from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).
One person was killed when a car exploded in the same area.
It is not known if the incident is related to the political unrest.
An English language teacher in Bangkok, Ashley Backhouse, saw the demonstrations.
"There's a road block which has been made by the demonstrators. There's a lot of people here. I'd say in this area there's a couple of hundred," he said.
"But in the road I was just in I would say there were several thousand. There are a number of people being taken away from the scene on stretchers but it wasn't clear the extent of their injuries."
For the past four months, the protesters have waged a campaign to unseat the government because of its close ties to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Mr Thaksin fled a corruption trial in August, and is seeking political asylum in Britain.
Army chief Anupong Paochinda denied rumours of a coup, two years after the military removed Thaksin in a bloodless putsch.
"People should not panic. Soldiers will not launch a coup since it will not be good for the country," he told reporters.
By nightfall, 381 people had been injured, 48 seriously, after the worst street violence since the army and pro-democracy activists fought in 1992.
Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, the government's chief negotiator with the PAD, resigned, saying police failed to exercise the restraint he had requested.
"Since this action did not achieve what I planned, I want to show my responsibility for this operation," he said.
After the army announcement, the PAD, an extra-parliamentary group of businessmen, academics and activists, began pulling back to the Government House compound it has occupied since August.
Two policemen were shot and another stabbed during the unrest, which occurred mainly in Bangkok's administrative zone and did not spill into tourist areas.
Political stalemate
Analysts have predicted the political stalemate to continue.
Ramkhamhaeng University analyst Boonyakiat Karavekphan said the PAD did not have enough support from the military or general public to deliver a knockout blow to the government.
"If Anupong was on its side, the PAD would have won by now," he said.
The unrest has hurt investor confidence and distracted policymakers when they should be focused on slowing economic growth and fallout from the global credit crisis, analysts say.
Citing the protests, traders said the baht currency fell against the dollar and the stock market tumbled, although in both cases the credit crisis was also a major factor.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has sought a dialogue with the PAD but there seems little prospect of a compromise to end the political stalemate.
In his speech to parliament, he called for national reconciliation.
"This government is determined to tackle economic problems and to listen to all sides to find a solution to end the crisis," said Mr Somchai, who was forced to leave by helicopter after protesters surrounded the parliament grounds.
Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith told Sky News he spoke to Australia's Ambassador to Thailand late last night and says the situation is very concerning.
"We urge all parties to seek to resolve their differences and this dispute peacefully and lawfully and we certainly hope that that is in accordance with Thailand's democratic and parliamentary and political processes," he said.
"But we have become increasingly concerned not just about the violence in demonstrations but also worrying about ongoing political stability so we certainly hope that these matters can be resolved peacefully in the coming days."
- ABC/Reuters
