The army said it had used real bullets in the latest standoff in the capital, where 27 people have died and almost 1,000 have been injured this month in the worst political unrest in almost two decades.

Troops fired into the air and also directly at the Red Shirts as the standoff between the two sides spilled over from the protesters' fortified rally base in the heart of the capital, which is under a state of emergency. "Real bullets were used because soldiers and police are human and protesters attacked officials first," army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd told a news conference.

One soldier died instantly from a gunshot wound to the head during the clashes, while two more soldiers and 16 civilians were wounded, some of them seriously, medical officials said.

However, the Reds - who want immediate elections to replace Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government - accused troops of using ‘war weapons’ against them, and said the soldier was a victim of friendly fire. "He was shot by people on the same side as him," said protest leader Jatuporn Prompan.

AFP