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Violence shakes Thai capital

4 killed as anti-govt protests spread

AFP, Bangkok
Thai police yesterday fired tear gas and water cannon at protesters trying to storm the government headquarters to overthrow Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, after violence in the capital left four dead and dozens wounded.
The bloodshed is the latest in a series of outbreaks of civil strife in the kingdom since royalist generals ousted billionaire tycoon-turned-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck's brother, seven years ago.
The leader of antigovernment protests in Thailand called for a general strike for today, amid
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ongoing clashes in Bangkok.
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets yesterday in what organisers said was a final push to topple the embattled government.
The street rallies, aimed at replacing Yingluck's government with an unelected "people's council", are the biggest since mass pro-Thaksin protests in Bangkok three years ago left dozens dead in a military crackdown.
An estimated 35,000 people joined the opposition demo yesterday, according to police.
Police repeatedly fired tear gas and water cannon as a hard core of protesters tried for hours to breach barricades and cut barbed wire protecting Government House, which was heavily guarded by security forces including unarmed soldiers.
Tear gas was also fired at protesters near the metropolitan police headquarters several kilometres away.
As night fell, protesters armed with iron bars were seen near Government House.
In a televised press conference, deputy prime minister Pracha Promnog advised the public to stay at home between 10:00pm and 5:00am for their safety.
"The government is in control and will restore normality as soon as possible," he
added.
He accused protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban of seeking "to overthrow the executive branch, which is treason and punishable by death".
Violence broke out late Saturday in the area around a suburban stadium where tens of thousands of pro-government "Red Shirts" had gathered in support of Yingluck, who has faced weeks of street protests.
Four people were killed and 57 wounded, according to Bangkok's Erawan emergency centre. The dead and injured suffered a range of wounds including gunshots and stabbings.
At least two of the dead were believed to be Red Shirt supporters.
The circumstances were unclear but the violence came after an anti-government mob attacked Red Shirts arriving to join the rally in Ramkhamhaeng district.
They were the first deaths since the mostly peaceful demonstrations began a month ago. Both sides blamed each other for attacking their supporters.
The violence prompted Red Shirt leaders to end their rally, which had drawn tens of thousands of mainly rural poor in support of Yingluck and her brother Thaksin, who lives in self-imposed exile but remains a hugely divisive figure inThailand.