Bangkok:
Thailand's army said on Sunday it would impose a curfew on parts of Bangkok after two days of intense clashes between soldiers and "Red Shirt" protesters left at least 24 dead and more than 200 wounded.
A top protest leader urged the revered king to intervene in the crisis, which has turned areas of the city into no-go zones as troops fire live ammunition at protesters, some of them armed or using slingshots and fireworks.
Sporadic gunfire continued to echo around the fringes of the Red Shirts' sprawling encampment as a swathe of the city was shrouded in black smoke after demonstrators torched piles of tyres in roads. One shop was seen ablaze.
"There will be a curfew announcement in some necessary areas and roads in Bangkok so that police and soldiers can differentiate people from terrorists," army spokesman Colonel Sunsern Kaewkumnerd told reporters.
The government said schools would stay closed on Monday because of the unrest.
A senior leader of the Red Shirted protesters called for the intervention of Thailand's king, saying he was the "only hope" for an end to the two-month crisis, which has left more than 50 people dead and 1,600 wounded.
"As people in this country, we would like his kindness," Jatuporn Prompan told reporters at the rally site, where thousands of protesters were camped out.
"I believe Thais will feel the same, that His Majesty is our only hope."
Meanwhile, the health of a renegade Thai general allied with anti-government "Red Shirt" protesters deteriorated today after he was shot last week in their Bangkok rally site, said a hospital official.
Major-General Khattiya Sawasdipol, known as Seh Daeng, was shot in the head Thursday night during an interview with the press near the area where thousands have been rallying against the government for the past two months.
"Seh Daeng's condition is not well, he has low blood pressure and kidney failure. Doctors are keeping a close watch on him," Vachira hospital director Chaiwan Charoenchokthawee said.
The general, 58, was unconscious and given a low chance of survival when he was rushed for treatment.
The shooting of the outspoken general coincided with a government effort to seal off the protest site by cutting power and blocking roads. As part of the operation, the army had warned it would deploy snipers.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had accused Seh Daeng -- who was suspended from duty in January -- of trying to prevent an end to the demonstrations.
A top protest leader urged the revered king to intervene in the crisis, which has turned areas of the city into no-go zones as troops fire live ammunition at protesters, some of them armed or using slingshots and fireworks.
Sporadic gunfire continued to echo around the fringes of the Red Shirts' sprawling encampment as a swathe of the city was shrouded in black smoke after demonstrators torched piles of tyres in roads. One shop was seen ablaze.
"There will be a curfew announcement in some necessary areas and roads in Bangkok so that police and soldiers can differentiate people from terrorists," army spokesman Colonel Sunsern Kaewkumnerd told reporters.
The government said schools would stay closed on Monday because of the unrest.
A senior leader of the Red Shirted protesters called for the intervention of Thailand's king, saying he was the "only hope" for an end to the two-month crisis, which has left more than 50 people dead and 1,600 wounded.
"As people in this country, we would like his kindness," Jatuporn Prompan told reporters at the rally site, where thousands of protesters were camped out.
"I believe Thais will feel the same, that His Majesty is our only hope."
Meanwhile, the health of a renegade Thai general allied with anti-government "Red Shirt" protesters deteriorated today after he was shot last week in their Bangkok rally site, said a hospital official.
Major-General Khattiya Sawasdipol, known as Seh Daeng, was shot in the head Thursday night during an interview with the press near the area where thousands have been rallying against the government for the past two months.
"Seh Daeng's condition is not well, he has low blood pressure and kidney failure. Doctors are keeping a close watch on him," Vachira hospital director Chaiwan Charoenchokthawee said.
The general, 58, was unconscious and given a low chance of survival when he was rushed for treatment.
The shooting of the outspoken general coincided with a government effort to seal off the protest site by cutting power and blocking roads. As part of the operation, the army had warned it would deploy snipers.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had accused Seh Daeng -- who was suspended from duty in January -- of trying to prevent an end to the demonstrations.
