State of emergency declared in Bangkok after protester is killed

An anti-government protester was killed in a clash with pro-government demonstrators, prompting the declaration of a state of emergency in three districts of Bangkok.

The death occurred around 3am, during a clash between thousands of anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy and pro-government members of the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship. Riot police had tried to stop the two groups from fighting, but were overpowered. Thirty-four people were injured.

The state of emergency was declared by Prime Minister Samak SundaravejSamak Sundaravej shortly after dawn. The ruling puts Bangkok under control of the military. Though life will go on as it ordinarily would for the vast majority of Bangkokians, the ruling, which prohibits the assembly for more than five people and authorizes the authorities to evict people from any premises, seems aimed at ending the weeklong standoff between the government the anti-government group known as PAD, which has occupied the grounds of Government House.

They have been calling for the resignation of Samak, whose party won a general election in December. Samak took over for an interim government that had been installed by the military, which staged a coup in 2006 to unseat prime minister Thaksin ShinawatraThaksin Shinawatra. Samak's People Power Party is viewed by PAD as a nominee of Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) party, which was ordered disbanded over charges of corruption.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of State Enterprise Unions, which includes workers for the power and water agencies, Bangkok city buses and Thai International Airways, planned a selective strike with an aim to disrupt the government. The union's leader, Sawit Keawwan, is a core leader of PAD, which is headed up by firebrand media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul and former army general and longtime political activist Chamlong Srimuang.