Bloody end to blockade in Bangkok: Red Shirts beaten black and blue

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva tried Wednesday night to reassure the country that the government would restore calm but fires spread through the capital. His government declared a nighttime curfew, and he said in his televised address troops had been given the go-ahead to shoot at suspected arsonists. The troops had moved earlier in the day against thousands of so-called Red Shirt protesters, mostly rural poor, who had camped behind barricades in the capital's premier shopping and residential district for weeks, demanding Abhisit call immediate elections.

The army used live ammunition to disperse them, drawing fire from militant Red Shirts. Officials confirmed five protesters and an Italian news photographer were confirmed killed and about 60 wounded. Witnesses said that six to eight additional dead lay in the temple where hundreds of protesters, including women and children, had sought sanctuary.

After Red Shirt leaders gave themselves up to police on Wednesday afternoon, rioters set fires at the Stock Exchange, several banks, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Electricity Authority, Central World - one of Asia's biggest shopping malls - and a cinema that burned to ground. There were reports of looting.

Firefighters retreated after protesters shot at them, and thick smoke drifted across the sky of this city of 10 million people. Sporadic clashes between troops and protesters continued in the night.

A 10-hour curfew came into force in Bangkok and 23 other provinces at 8 p.m., and the government said army operations would continue through the night in the Thai capital. The government also imposed a partial media blackout on local TV stations, saying all of them will have to air government-prepared bulletins.

Protesters had already turned their rage on the local media, which they have accused of pro-government coverage. They attacked the offices of state-run Channel 3, setting fire to cars outside and puncturing water pipes that flooded the building. "At Channel 3 need urgent help from police, soldiers!!!" tweeted news anchor Patcharasri Benjamasa. "News cars were smashed and they are about to invade the building."

Hours later its building was on fire. Its executives were evacuated by helicopter and police rescued other staff. The English-language Bangkok Post newspaper evacuated its staff after threats from the Red Shirts. A large office building down the street from the Post was set afire. With no hope of resisting the military's advance, seven top Red Shirt leaders turned themselves in on Wednesday afternoon, saying they cannot see their supporters being killed.

"Brothers and sisters, I'm sorry I cannot see you off the way I welcomed you all when you arrived here. But please be assured that our hearts will always be with you," Nattawut Saikua, a key leader, said as he was being arrested.

"Please return home," he said, Kazinform cites Arab News. See www.arabnews.com for full version.