1 dead as gunman opens fire at Thai protesters

A Thai anti-government protester, center, is detained by riot police during a clash at a sports stadium in Bangkok, Thailand Thursday, Dec. 26, 2013. Rock-throwing protesters trying to halt preparations for elections fought police in the Thai capital on Thursday, escalating their campaign to topple the country’s beleaguered government. AP

BANGKOK – A Thai anti-government protester was killed and several others wounded after an unknown gunman opened fire Saturday at a rally site near the government headquarters in Bangkok, emergency services said.

“The dead man is in his 30s. He was shot in the torso,” a spokesman for the city’s Erawan emergency centre said.

The pre-dawn attack follows weeks of mass anti-government protests – seeking to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra – which have triggered several outbreaks of deadly clashes.