Thai security forces fought street battles with protesters in the heart of Bangkok Saturday, leaving 15 dead and hundreds injured in the country's bloodiest political violence in almost two decades. A Japanese cameraman with the Reuters news agency was among those killed as the army launched a crackdown on "Red Shirt" supporters of fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, following almost a month of mass demonstrations.
The Reds hurled rocks as troops tried to clear one of two protest sites in the capital with tear gas, while gunshots echoed around the city. The dead included 11 civilians and four soldiers, emergency services said, adding that about 680 people had been hurt, some by rubber bullets.
It was the country's worst political clashes since 1992 as, in Washington, the White House called for "restraint by both protesters and security forces." Riot shields and pools of blood were left scattered around the city's historic district near the Khaosan Road backpacker district, while ambulances ferried away casualties and injured soldiers were loaded onto pick-up trucks.
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