A renegade Thai army officer advising the protesters who have occupied sections of central Bangkok for more than a month was shot last night in the midst of a new round of violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces.
As darkness fell over the capital, soldiers were deployed at key points beyond the stockades made of tyres and sharpened bamboo staves that mark the fringes of the zones established by the protesters, identified by their red shirts.
Maj-Gen Khattya Sawasdipol, the officer whose views are regarded as extreme even by his political allies, was shot shortly after the launch of a security operation to surround the sprawling protest site and prevent supplies reaching demonstrators.