Police clash with anti-government protesters during an operation by the authorities to retake a bridge Photo: KC Ortiz / AFP
A Thai police officer and anti-government protester have been killed and dozens wounded in gun battles and clashes in Bangkok, officials and witnesses have said.
“One policeman has died and 14 police were injured,” national Police Chief Adul Saengsingkaew, told Reuters. “The policeman … died while being sent to hospital. He was shot in the head.”
A male protester aged 52 was also killed in the Thai capital, the Erawan Medical Center – which monitors city hospitals – said on its website, which also reported that 44 people had been hurt. It did not provide a breakdown of how many of the wounded were police and how many were civilians.
Television pictures showed clouds of teargas and police crouching behind riot shields as officers clashed with protesters near Government House. It was not clear who had fired the teargas and the authorities blamed protesters. “I can guarantee that teargas was not used by security forces. The forces did not take teargas with them,” the National Security Council chief, Paradorn Pattanathabutr, told Reuters. “Protesters are the ones who threw teargas at the security forces.”
Live television pictures showed police with shields and batons pushing and jostling with protesters near Government House. One man could be seen bleeding from a head wound.
Story: AFP
On Twitter, reports of more fatalities and graphic photos of violence have been posted. Thomas Fuller of the New York Times says a second police officer has been killed.
Bangkok death toll: two police officers and one civilian. Another civilian died but did not have any obvious wounds; cause of death unclear.
— Thomas Fuller (@thomasfullerNYT) February 18, 2014
