Thai soldiers sprayed automatic weapons fire and threw tear gas to clear anti-government protesters from a major intersection in the capital in the pre-dawn darkness Monday, with at least 70 people reported injured. Demonstrators responded by hurling at least one gasoline bomb at a line of troops. Monday's clash marked a major escalation in the ongoing protests that have roiled this southeast Asian nation. The skirmish came a day after the country's ousted prime minister called for a revolution.
Who's in charge, Thais wonder
While the government has declared a state of emergency, protesters controlled many streets in the capital Bangkok.
They had earlier commandeered public buses and forced military vehicles to halt, in one case climbing on top of two armored personnel carriers, waving flags and shouting "Democracy." A mob of the red-shirted protesters smashed cars carrying Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his aides on Sunday.
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Image: Thai soldiers watch for anti-government demonstrators as they clear an intersection early Monday, April 13, 2009, in Bangkok.
