Three dead, 60 hurt in Thai protest clashes

BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand's embattled premier will be charged with neglect of duty, anti-graft officials said Tuesday, as clashes between police and opposition protesters left three dead and dozens wounded in central Bangkok.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission said that if found guilty of the charges - which relate to a controversial rice subsidy scheme - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra could be removed from office.

The announcement came hours after gunfire and explosions shook an area of the city's historic district just a short walk away from major tourist attractions, as riot police moved to clear sites of protest rallies.

A policeman was shot dead and two civilians were killed, according to the Erawan emergency centre. Nearly 60 other people were injured, including one foreigner.

The protesters have staged more than three months of mass street rallies demanding Yingluck's resignation.
Police launched another operation to reclaim besieged government buildings and clear rally sites in the capital Tuesday, tearing through razor wire and sandbag barricades near the city's Democracy Monument.

They met fierce resistance from protesters and were eventually forced to retreat amid volleys of gunfire. It was unclear who was shooting.

"The government cannot work here anymore," said a spokesman for the protesters, Akanat Promphan. "The will of the people is still strong. The government is trapped. It has no way forward."

Around 150 opposition demonstrators were arrested at a different rally site at an energy ministry complex in the capital on charges of violating a state of emergency - the first mass detentions during the current protests began.