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Central World Shopping Centre closed today at about 2pm as a peaceful but disruptive rally by Red Shirt protesters shut down the nearby Ratchaprasong Intersection. Many bus services will have been cancelled or redirected.

Walking freely from Central World to Siam Paragon, it appeared that neighbouring shopping centres remained unaffected. BTS services were running as usual and there were no signs of an increased military or police presence.

Dutch journalist Michel Maas says that he was shot by the Thai army while reporting on the red shirt demonstrations.

In an interview with the IPI (International Press Institute), Michel Maas says that he has no doubt that he was shot by the Thai army.

I have no doubt whatsoever that it was the Thai army that shot me. No one else was shooting, as far as I could tell. The army had snipers on the ‘Skytrain’ over our heads, and soldiers in the Park just in front of us, covering the entire front line area. And troops were advancing from the direction from where I was shot.

On 19th May, Thai soldiers stormed an anti-government protest in Bangkok. It was the climax of a 6-week stand-off between the Thai government, and the protestors known as Red Shirts. More than 80 people were killed during the confrontation. One of them was Thawil, a 36 year old rice farmer from the northeast of the country. In the aftermath of Thailand’s latest democratic crisis, Lucy Williamson has travelled from Bangkok up to the protest heartlands in the poorer north-east, to assess how deep the wounds are, and where Thailand goes from here.

Thailand denies covering up protester deaths

By South East Asia correspondent Zoe Daniel

Posted Wed Jun 2, 2010 5:26am AEST

Thailand's government has denied allegations it is attempting to cover up the true number of people killed in recent civil unrest.

Anti-government protesters allege that the death toll is higher than the official figure and the Mirror Foundation NGO claims that at least 39 people remain unaccounted for.

There have been a number of reports from protesters of the military removing bodies during dispersal of the rally in Bangkok almost two weeks ago.

Andrew Buncombe was caught up in violence and shot while taking refuge in a Buddhist temple which was supposedly a place of safety for red shirt protesters fleeing from violent clashes between anti-government protesters and the army.

There was nothing for us to do but take cover, as the incoming fire sprayed and hissed. People lay flat, terrified, crouched behind cars, tried to squeeze themselves into the meagre protection offered by the wheel hubs. They took cover frantically, diving behind not just cars, but trucks, trees and even flower pots.

This was near to the entrance of a Buddhist temple, a supposed oasis, a place of prayer. But we knew its sanctity had been fatally breached when the crack of rifles and the sound of bullets ricocheted close to the temple's souvenir shop.

One after the other, the injured were carried, rushed and dragged inside the temple compound. On bamboo mats, blankets anything to hand, they were carried in bloodied and screaming. Fearless Red Shirt volunteers did what they could. They used towels, bandages and plasters to try to treat ugly bullet wounds that needed surgery, not first aid kits.

The sign outside the temple says "apayatan" a word indicating that here in the centre of Bangkok is a safe zone – a haven. Yesterday afternoon, as buildings across the Thai capital blazed, thick black smoke billowing into the air, the streets outside the revered, 15O-year-old Buddhist compound had been transformed into an ugly, lethal battle zone from which no one could leave.

The bodies of six protesters were found inside Wat Pathum Wanaram (วัดปทุมวนาราม), a Buddhist temple, bringing the death toll to 82 during two months of demonstrations by anti-government red shirt protesters. The temple was designated a refuge for those who wanted to leave peacefully from the nearby protest site and was mostly occupied by the elderly, women and children.

Thai red shirt protesters are reported to have threatened reporters and cameramen in Bangkok, particularly those filming retreating protesters looting and committing acts of arson. Protesters also attacked the offices of the state-run Channel 3, which they claim broadcasts distorted news stories that favor government interests.

The offices of the Bangkok Post and the Nation were also evacuated after alleged threats were made by retreating protesters. The Nation in particular is known for being sympathetic to the interests of large businesses and social elite in Thailand.

Central World (เซ็นทรัลเวล) has been set on fire in what is being reported as a deliberate act of arson by anti-government protesters. The Bangkok Post has reported that the burning shopping complex is now on the verge of collapse.

Television station CTV Montreal has reported armored vehicles being used to ram through barricades set up by red shirt protesters in Bangkok, two protesters killed, and three foreign journalists shot:

A pair of armoured vehicles rammed through a crudely fashioned barricade in Bangkok Wednesday morning, paving the way for Thai troops to enter the fortified encampment controlled by 3,000 Red Shirt protesters.

Thai military must halt reckless use of lethal force

18 May 2010

Thai soldiers must immediately stop firing live ammunition into several large areas in Bangkok where anti-government protesters are gathered, Amnesty International said today.

"Eye-witness accounts and video recordings show clearly that the military is firing live rounds at unarmed people who pose no threat whatsoever to the soldiers or to others," said Benjamin Zawacki, Amnesty International's Thailand specialist. "This is a gross violation of a key human right - the right to life."

"Deliberately firing live ammunition at unarmed people, whether they be protesters or otherwise and who pose no credible threat to anyone else, is unlawful," said Zawacki.