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From early rumblings to the Thai government's crackdown on protestors, The Globe's Mark MacKinnon has been sending Twitter updates from Thailand.

With 140 characters, a camera phone and a homemade medical kit, this is his blow-by-blow of what is transpiring on the streets of Bangkok.

May 18, 2010

  • 12:29 p.m. Thai media reporting govt has rejected Red ceasefire offer.
  • 12:31 p.m. Bad news for peace fans - Thai government has extended "holiday" for rest of the week.
  • 2:09 p.m. Thailand: Red Guard poses with slingshot at barricades via
  • 2:22 p.m. What blockade? Piles of fresh vegetables arrived today in Bangkok Red Shirt camp
  • 3:06 p.m. Amnesty International slams Thailand's "reckless use of lethal force" against "unarmed people who posed no threat whatsoever".
  • 4:29 p.m. Question of the Day: if Red uprising is about equality, why is there a VIP toilet? #thailand
  • 6:41 p.m. East Bangkok, far from the Red Stage, supporters gather to watch latest speeches
  • 11:39 p.m. Series of bangs heard from direction of Rama IV road, scene of much fighting in recent days. #thailand
  • 11:41 p.m. Thai media reporting "strong rumours" of dawn crackdown in Bangkok standoff.

May 19, 2010

  • 12:05 a.m. I should add to last tweet that if I had a baht for every crackdown rumour I've heard in recent weeks I could buy land in Rajprasong.
  • 1:38 a.m. Thailand's tourism minister says number of arrivals at Bangkok airport has fallen from 30,000 to 20,000 a day because of crisis.
  • 2:43 a.m. I tried to avoid seeing this, but failed - Red Shirts strip to protest Thailand violence: (blame @Journotopia)
  • 2:46 a.m. Another explosion in the distance. By now, I should have function key that types that sentence. #thailand
  • 8:02 a.m. Breaking: Soldiers, armoured personnel carriers seen advancing towards main Red Shirt protest in Bangkok. Much gunfire.
  • 9:07 a.m. New checkpoints sealing off military operation area. BBC's @aleithead says filmed Black Shirts firing back at soldiers.
  • 9:30 a.m. "Thai troops open fire on protesters" - http://tinyurl.com/2953utq
  • 9:59 a.m. Thai govt spokesman "we would like to reassure citizens of Bangkok... operations are designed to stabilize the area."
  • 10:03 a.m. Thick smoke rising from Lumphini Park.
  • 10:12 a.m. Thai govt spokesman says "operations designed to... provide security, safety to public at large." Will continue all day.
  • 10:15 a.m. Thai Red Cross calling for urgent blood donations.
  • 10:19 a.m. Thai media reporting military now controls Lumphini Park area. Red Cross calling for urgent blood donations.
  • 10:42 a.m. Police taking shelter at Chulalongkorn hospital, across from Red barricades
  • 10:43 a.m. Now at Chulalongkorn hospital. Heavy gunfire. Helicopters overhead.
  • 10:44 a.m. Red barricades on fire near Chulalongkorn hospital.
  • 10:48 a.m. Thai troops advancing near Lumphini Park.
  • 11:28 a.m. Closing in on Red stage at protest centre. As soldiers advance, Reds still defiantly sitting on ground, playing music. about 9 hours ago
  • 11:29 a.m. Approaching Red stage. As army advances, Reds still defiantly sitting on ground, playing music. #thailand about 9 hours ago
  • 11:34 a.m. Doctors and nurses prepare to receive casualties at Police Hospital in centre of Bangkok protest site.
  • 11:48 a.m. At police hospital, 13 injured, six from gunshot wound. One dead, a foreign journalist killed at Sala Daeng.
  • 11:55 a.m. Police Hospital adjacent to main protest stage says 13 injured so far, six from gunshot. One dead, a foreign journalist.
  • 11:55 a.m. Hundreds of Red protesters gather at main stage as battle rages a few hundred metres south.
  • 12:07 p.m. Praise my lovely wife who made me a medical kit with everything in. I just dressed a colleague's bullet wound. Shot in leg. All safe now.
  • 12:08 p.m. Four dead, 50 injured across Bangkok in crackdown today, Thai media reporting.
  • 12:27 p.m. Soldiers allowing Red Shirts to exit camp if they come forward with hands raised. Lt Col I talked to on way in said 10 surrendered to him.
  • 12:33 p.m. Smoke rising from two locations north of main Red camp in central Bangkok. Din Daeng and one other area.
  • 12:39 p.m. No Red leaders behind main stage when I visited. Reports some surrendering to police. Still thousands of protesters at main site.
  • 12:58 p.m. Thai TV reporting that Red Shirts have occupied Bangkok's Century Park hotel. Years ago, in other Thailand, my cousin got married there...
  • 1:25 p.m. Chidlom BTS station burning. Red shirts on tracks. Heavy explosions and gunfire.
  • 1:31 p.m. Fire at Bangkok's Chidlom skytrain station. Heavy gunfire.
  • 1:34 p.m. Al-Jazeera reporting Red Shirts stormed town hall in north Thailand. Could this spread?
  • 1:52 p.m. Getting a bit dangerous now around Chidlom
  • 1:56 p.m. Reuters reporting Canadian journalist injured in Bangkok clashes.
  • 2:01 p.m. Massive fire now at Chidlom BTS. Something else burning besides tires.
  • 2:22 p.m. Bangkok burning.
  • 2:33 p.m. As Red leaders surrender, hard-core elements reported to declare independence. Fighting coninues around Bangkok.
  • 2:34 p.m. Canadian Embassy says avoid all travel to Bangkok, avoid non-essential travel to Thailand.
  • 2:35 p.m. Thai military to impose curfew on Bangkok tonight.
  • 2:36 p.m. Smoke rising from near Central World shopping mall in Bangkok. Reports that protesters tried to set it on fire.
  • 3:05 p.m. Almost deserted. Rajprasong main Red stage. Now.
  • 3:12 p.m. Rajprasong main red stage. Deserted. No sign of soldiers.
  • 3:43 p.m. In Wat Patum Wanaram, with hundreds of civilians. All just ran deeper into temple area because of nearby gunfire.
  • 3:45 p.m. Hundreds of civilians begginf for UN to protect Buddhist temple in middle of site.
  • 3:51 p.m. Smoke rises from fire behind Buddhist temple sanctuary for civilians caught in Bangkok fighting.
  • 3:59 p.m. Some of the hundreds of civilians now hiding in Wat Patum Buddhist temple.
  • 3:59 p.m. Thais in temple offering us water and a place to sit. "We're only kind to foreigners, not to each other," woman says.
  • 4:00 p.m. Gunfire, explosions close to temple where unarmed Red Shirts have taken sanctuary.
  • 4:01 p.m. Colleague say "Black Shirts" with rifles battling soldiers outside temple.
  • 4:10 p.m. Settling in for a long stay? Inside the Wat Patum temple where maybe 1,000 are now sheltering.
  • 4:31 p.m. Ambulance attendees take cover in alley outside Wat Patum,
  • 4:57 p.m. Thais in temple watch on TV as army approaches.
  • 5:17 p.m. Red Shirts gather abandoned food in anticipation of long stay in Wat Patum temple.
  • 5:19 p.m. Smoke rises from Bangkok's burning Central World shopping mall.
  • 5:37 p.m. Thais in temple begging me to take them out. "You can go, right? Take me!" Also "Is the UN coming?"
  • 5:50 p.m. Sustained gunfire outside temple serving as sanctuary in middle of Bangkok. People moving further away from entrance.
  • 5:56 p.m. More shooting, explosions outside Wat Patum.
  • 6:03 p.m. Inside Wat Patum as firefight rages outside.
  • 6:05 p.m. People hide behind truck after bullet whizzes through temple compound.
  • 6:06 p.m. Firefight outside temple escalating. Hundreds of people still sheltering inside.
  • 6:08 p.m. Air smells of fire. Twenty buildings around city said to be in fire, including Central World.
  • 6:10 p.m. At least one person inside temple has bullet wound. No idea what happened. Gunfire escalating.
  • 6:27 p.m. Fighting rages all around temple. Tear gas in the air. At least three shot, either inside or just outside sanctuary.
  • 7:44 p.m. At least five wounded around me at makeshift medical centre in park behind Wat Patum temple, one a friend and colleague.. gunfire continuesm
  • 7:54 p.m. Somehow we're the only corros left in temple. People around us terified. Red Cross can't get ambulance in to injured because of gunfire.
  • 8:27 p.m. Medics around me say 7 dead 10 injured inside Wat Patum temple, which was supposed to be sanctuary. I'd guess 1500 to 2000 terrified ppl
  • 8:49 p.m. Please RT. People around me are dying because they can't get to hospital across the road because of fighting #bang
  • 8:51 p.m. More people will die inside Wat Patum unless we get ceasefire to get to hospital across the road.
  • 10:15 p.m. Wounded man in ambulance leaving Wat Patum. Ceasefire negotiated to let wounded leave.

All times listed reflect local time in Bangkok

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