By Tony Wright
A new day has dawned in Bangkok, but part of the city centre is in flames.
An abandoned building was set alight and left to burn, with fire fighters unable to reach it.
A Government deadline has been and gone with none of the 5000 Red Shirt protesters packing up and leaving. Further confrontation looks inevitable.
At least 37 people have been killed so far in five days of fighting. A top army general who sided with the Red Shirts is understood to have been singled out by a sniper and shot.
The protesters, most of whom hail from the impoverished North, are encamped in Bangkok’s main shopping district in an attempt to unseat Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and force immediate elections.
But the army keeps tightening its blockade around the protest site, while other troops are patrolling the usually bustling commercial and tourist district nearby.
The Thai army has accused protesters of using children as human shields to prevent troops moving in.
The army also claims terrorists have infiltrated the protesters and are using grenades and live rounds – a claim not borne out by any of the news footage.
Both sides say more violence appears unavoidable, with one Red Shirt leader saying the protests will end up as Thailand’s Tiananmen Square – with perhaps hundreds killed.
Thailand has long been considered a democratic Oasis in Southest Asia, but the current unrest has shaken faith in the Thai government’s ability to restore order and maintain stability.
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