50 hurt as grenade attacks kill Thai protester

The area has been the site of a tense stand-off between Red Shirt protesters, who are demanding Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva resign, and armed troops.

More recently, a rival group of protesters has rallied in the area, occasionally hurling stones and insults at the Red Shirts, creating a volatile mix. Several of the blasts were near where the rivals have gathered, under the elevated tracks of a station.

An army spokesman said five grenades were fired from launchers. Three that fell through the roof of the Saladaeng Skytrain station, along Silom Road, the centre of Bangkok's business district.

A fourth exploded on the pavement near the five-star Dusit Thani Hotel and the fifth near a bank.

The government's Erawan emergency centre said the blasts killed one person, a Thai man, and wounded at least 50.

Some reports said three foreigners were among the wounded.

The Red Shirts, who believe Abhisit came to power illegitimately and are pushing for him to call elections immediately, have rallied in the streets for several weeks.

The army has warned that time was running out for the protesters to clear the streets, warning they would crack down soon.

Britons have been warned to avoid all but "essential" travel to the Thai capital given the risk "that violence could break out without warning".

In a statement, the Foreign Office said: "At 15.45 today, the Foreign Office amended its travel advice to advise against all but essential travel to Bangkok.

"This advice reflects our concern for the safety of British nationals planning to travel to Bangkok, given the risk that violence could break out without warning during the increasingly volatile political crisis.

"The situation is changing on a daily basis, and we recommend that British nationals living in Thailand or travelling to the country check the travel advice on the Foreign Office website regularly for details of further developments."

The warning came after a statement issued by Thai army officials directed at two groups of protesters that have massed in the city.

"To take people in Bangkok hostage is not right," a spokesman warned the Red Shirts.

"Your time to leave the area is running out"

Prospects for a peaceful solution to the political crisis appear slim, and every night brings a new flurry of rumours of an imminent crackdown.

A failed April 10 attempt by security forces in Bangkok to flush protesters from their first encampment erupted into the worst political violence Thailand has seen in 18 years, with 25 people dead.

The Red Shirts have erected a barrier of sharpened bamboo sticks and old tyres on which their guards perch near to yesterday's blast area.

Behind the Red Shirts' line is their redoubt, which extends for more than a mile up to another junction, where tens of thousands of supporters gather around a stage to hear nearly non-stop speeches.

Across from the Red Shirt wall wait several police trucks, dozens of police in riot gear, and a few hundred anti-Red Shirt demonstrators, who wave Thai flags and hurl abuse.

The anti-Red Shirt activists made up of office employees, middle-class families, academics, and members of the Yellow Shirts, a group that supports the current government and who themselves rampaged through Bangkok and seized the city's airports two years ago.

While some are genuinely aggrieved by the protests, many seem to have primarily political objections to the Red Shirts who they accuse of undermining the monarchy.

Diplomats urge extreme caution

The updated travel advice on the Foreign Office website advises against all but essential travel to Bangkok, adding: "This advice does not apply to passengers transiting Bangkok Airport on their way to other destinations in Thailand or internationally."

It goes on to say that Britons "should exercise extreme caution throughout the country" but is not currently advising against travel to other parts of Thailand, apart from the southern provinces of Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and parts of Songkhla, where it advises against all travel.

Visit www.fco.gov.uk for the latest travel updates.