Clashes grip Thai capital on eve of vote; seven hurt

BANGKOK (AP):Gunfire rang out across a busy intersection in Thailand's capital for more than an hour yesterday as government supporters clashed with protesters trying to derail tense nationwide elections one day before the vote was set to begin.

At least seven people were wounded, including an American photojournalist.

People caught up in the mayhem crouched behind cars and ducked on a pedestrian bridge while others fled inside a nearby shopping mall. Several masked gunmen wearing armoured vests bent down under a highway overpass as one of them fired a weapon concealed in a green sack.

latest flare-up

The exchange of fire was the latest flare-up in a month long struggle by protesters to overthrow Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's beleaguered government which they accuse of corruption. The turmoil raises the prospect of more violence Sunday, when polls open for an electoral contest that has devolved into a battle of wills between the government and protesters - and those caught in between who insist on their right to vote.

Yesterday's confrontation began after a group of pro-government supporters marched to a district office in the northern Bangkok suburb of Laksi. The office had been surrounded by protesters intent on preventing ballot boxes housed inside from being delivered to a nearby polling station today.

Mounting tension

Tensions mounted for hours before clashes finally broke out. As gunfire rattled the area and people screamed in fear, an enraged mob of pro-government supporters wielding huge sticks smashed the windshields of a car carrying protesters that sped away.

Associated Press journalists saw a gunman allied with protesters firing an assault rifle, and another firing a pistol as he lay on his stomach on the road.

Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, said several pro-government gunmen climbed to the mall's rooftop and began firing down toward rivals. The two sides also fought with rocks and firecrackers.

"What is clear is that both sides had weapons, both sides were armed," Sunai said. "This is a very worrying sign."

According to the city's emergency services, at least six Thais were wounded, including a reporter for the local Daily News newspaper. An American photojournalist, James Nachtwey, was grazed by a bullet in the leg.

The conflict pits demonstrators who say they want to suspend the country's fragile democracy to institute anti-corruption reforms against Yingluck's supporters and civilians who know the election will do little to solve the nation's crisis but insist the right to vote should not be taken away.

The protesters, a minority that cannot win power at the polls, are demanding the government be replaced by an unelected council that would rewrite political and electoral laws to combat deep-seated problems of corruption and money politics. Yingluck has refused to step down, arguing she is open to reform and such a council would be unconstitutional.

Since protests began late last year, at least 10 people have been killed and nearly 600 wounded.