Violence between anti-government red shirts and those who have had enough of their protests in the Thai capital erupted overnight.
Today police have also confronted the red shirts demanding they remove barricades made of bamboo and car tyres.
With tourism businesses caught in the crossfire, authorities are attempting to reclaim central city traffic routes that have been blocked by protestors, leading to the closure of luxury Bangkok hotels and shopping malls.
Adding to the volatile mix, a new ‘multi-coloured’ group is planning a demonstration of 50,000 people in Bangkok’s old quarter to demand the red shirts end their rally.
The US, Britain France and Australia on Thursday warned their citizens visiting Thailand to stay away from political protests in Bangkok as they could turn violent.
Injured Melbourne man Benjamin Rowse told The Age newspaper of his shock at being caught in the Bangkok bomb blasts just hours after arriving in the Thai capital.
The 26-year-old was waiting to board a train at Bangkok’s Sala Daeng skytrain station when a bomb exploded.
