Thai troops have clashed with protesters for a third day in Bangkok, as streets in the centre of the city became battlegrounds and authorities struggled to contain Red Shirt demonstrators demanding the prime minister's resignation.
Explosions and street fighting have killed 16 people and wounded nearly 160 since the government attempted on Thursday to seal off the one-square-mile zone the Red Shirts have occupied in one of the capital's most upmarket areas.
The spiralling violence, which has shifted from street to street over three days, has raised concerns that Thailand - a long-time tourism magnet that promotes its easygoing culture as the "Land of Smiles" - was teetering toward instability because of the two-month-long political crisis.
The army says its troops are not shooting to kill, but protesters during a lull in clashes today crawled along pavements to slowly drag away corpses of three people near the city's Victory Monument traffic circle.
They said army snipers had shot all three in the head.
On Friday, circling troops used tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds on demonstrators and the protesters in turn set fire to tyres and a police bus.
Sporadic clashes resumed in several parts of the city, and explosions once again echoed through streets emptied of shoppers and tourists, as plumes of black smoke rose amid skyscrapers and hotels.
In a message from New York, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appealed to both sides to "do all within their power to avoid further violence and loss of life".
The Red Shirt protesters began their latest campaign to oust the government in March, saying it came to power illegitimately and was indifferent to the poor. In several rounds of violence since then, a total 43 people have been killed and at least 1,620 wounded, according to a government toll that includes the most recent clashes.
Protesters have urged 82-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej to end his long silence and intervene, but there was no word from the widely revered ailing monarch.
