Gunfire continues, more deaths in Bangkok

Gunfire rang out again in the Thai capital on the morning of December 1 as authorities braced for further waves of violence.

Streets near the stadium in Bangkok's Ramkamhaeng area were littered with broken glass and rocks. A Red Shirt leader named Jatuporn Promphan said four more Red Shirts had been killed, but Reuters confirmed only one, 43-year-old Red Shirt guard Viroj Kemnak.

Forty-five people were injured in the “battle”, according to a source at the government’s Erawan emergency centre.

Protesters break barbed wire in front of the Department of Special Investigation headquarters in Bangkok on November 30 (photo: AP)

At around 2 a.m. on November 30, Kittisak Srisunthorn, 36, said he was shot in the arm while sitting with a group of Red Shirt security guards. “I heard the sound of homemade bombs, gunshots. People started throwing rocks and glass bottles. There were about 100 people gathered. I didn’t see any police,” Kittisak told Reuters.

Police Colonel Narongrit Promsawat told the AP that intermittent gunfire was heard in an area northeast of Bangkok where clashes broke out the previous day near a stadium hosting a large pro-government rally attended by more than 50,000 people.

These nighttime clashes involved anti-government elements led by university students – who tried to prevent government supporters from entering the said gathering area.

As of the morning of December 1, there were still gunshots fired at a nearby university.On its website, the Bangkok Emergency Medical Center reported that at least one person died and 35 were injured.

Meanwhile, the protesters show no signs of giving in.A crowd of about 2,000 people has gathered outside state telecommunications companies since November 30, and protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has urged his forces to storm the ministries of labor, foreign affairs, education and interior. It is unclear whether he has enough people to surround government offices.

Shopping malls in Bangkok are closed as a precaution against “storms” today.

On the government side, thousands of riot police backed by the military have guarded the Thai Government House and other key points, including the National Assembly and police headquarters.

Police said the army had agreed to send 2,730 soldiers to help maintain order on the streets. There were 17 army battalions and 180 military police. The army has declared itself neutral in the current crisis, but it ousted Mr Thaksin in 2006 (on charges of corruption and abuse of power) and has little sympathy for him.

Ms. Yingluck – Thailand’s first female prime minister since the 2011 election – has urged protesters to stay out of the streets and instead sit down at the negotiating table to avoid confrontation. She said the Thai economy was in danger after protesters occupied the Finance Ministry on November 25.

Protesters took to the streets a week ago, attempting to overthrow Yingluck's government, which they believe only serves the interests of her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin.

In the short term, the current protests could raise fears of further unrest like those in 2006, 2008 and 2010 in Thailand. Escalating violence could hurt the tourism industry, which contributes a significant amount to the country’s budget each year. But it could also undermine the opposition’s claims that it will only wage a campaign of nonviolent civil disobedience.

Former Prime Minister Thaksin, a media tycoon, has insisted the charges against him are politically motivated. Despite being ousted and living in exile, he is believed to have maintained close contact with the current government, sometimes via webcam.

According to VOV