Thai street clashes leave 18 dead

Street battles betweentroops and anti-government protesters, marking Thailand's worst political violence in nearly 20 years,left 18 people dead, including a Japanese journalist,and about650wounded Saturday.

Witnesses said troops fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon at demonstrators after a number of them tried to breach an army compound in the Thai capital.

The clashes were the worstinmonth-long street protests during which supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatrahave demandednew elections.

Demonstrators reportedly fired back with grenades, gunfire and gasoline bombs made with cooking gas cylinders during running street battles.

The government's Erawan emergency centre said tallies from four Bangkok hospitals showed the death toll early Sunday had risen to at least 18 five soldiers and13 civilians.

Hospital official reports gunshot wounds

The Japanese camera operatorwho died, Hiro Muramoto,was covering the fighting forReuters news agency in Bangkok's historical quarter.The agency reported he was shot in the chest and arrived at hospital without a pulse.

Pichaya Nakwatchara, director of BMA General Hospital,said most of those killed or wounded appeared to have been hit by hard objects on the headbut some had gunshot wounds.

The army said any live rounds were fired only into the air, but confirmed that two of its soldiers had been shot. Government spokesman Panithan Wattanayakorn said more than 60 armed forces members had been injured.

Army troops later retreated and asked protesters to do the same, resulting in an unofficial truce.

The Red Shirt protesters are demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva dissolve parliament and call new elections. The group is made up of mainly poor and rural supporters of the former prime minister.

The Red Shirts say the ruling elite in the capital orchestrated the 2006 military coup that removed Thaksin from power.