The Thai capital was in a state of havoc on Wednesday afternoon as anti-government Red Shirt protesters took their anger to the streets after Thai military forces earlier in the day successfully overran their protest site in central Bangkok.

As fires swept across key parts of the city, gangs of angry protesters torched department stores and malls, movie theatres, TV stations, as well as attacking the media.

As the fires spread, the Thai government declared a curfew in a bid to re-establish control over the city.

Operations to continue overnight

Panitan Wattanayagorn, the government spokesperson, said local defense groups will be called on to assist the security forces.

"We will initiate operations throughout the night in several areas in order to stabilize the situation in several places," he said. "We are now facing a few pockets of trouble in several places in Bangkok. The government has declared a curfew tonight starting from 8 pm to 6 am in the morning."

Earlier in the grey light of dawn the security forces had been mustered with troops backed up by armored personnel carriers to advance past bamboo and rubber tires barricades on the Red Shirt protest site in a retail, hotel and commercial district. Thai troops fired warning shots as officers through loud speakers pressed the Red Shirts guarding the site to surrender.

Protest leaders surrendered

The operation to take over the three square kilometer site took some four hours to complete with protest leaders either fleeing or handing themselves over to police.

Doctor Chousak at the Bangkok Christian Hospital was one of many in the city who had looked to the military to break the impasse between the government and the Red Shirts who had occupied the site since April 3.

"The last few days, there have been casualties without any improvement in the situation, so to my mind things have to be resolved and the casualties can't be avoided then, rather than letting it drag on like this," he said.

Outrage over crackdown

But elsewhere in the city, Red Shirt supporters were angered by the crackdown. "It's very dangerous," Mr Ekamon, one of the Red Shirts, said. "The military shouldn't come out. They come out and people die. Who is ordering this? It's not right, there have to be official orders," he said.

The protests have been viewed as pitting the rural and urban poor and working class against the urban middle class.

Thaksin's role

Many protesters support former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and lives in exile.

In a statement Thaksin denied any links with the recent bloodshed. But the military reported large financial movements of money from accounts under the control of over 100 people, including Thaksin and close family members.

Since the latest military operations began last week, at least 39 people have died. Altogether over 65 have perished since the latest political crisis erupted with the anti-government protests in mid-March.

Author: Ron Corben (Bangkok )
Editor: Grahame Lucas