The red-clad demonstrators hunkered down in Bangkok's commercial heart, preparing for a final showdown with the authorities in their effort to force immediate elections to replace Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government.

“If the government still wants to retake this area, we can do nothing except wait. We have overcome fear. Nothing can scare us anymore,” said a Reds leader, Nattawut Saikuar.

The death toll from Thailand's worst political violence in almost two decades rose to at least 23 people, 18 of whom died from gunshot wounds, emergency services said as the government called for fresh negotiations.

Saturday's clashes erupted as the army tried unsuccessfully to clear an area in Bangkok's old city, sparking street battles involving soldiers, red-clad protesters and unidentified gunmen described as “terrorists” by the government.

Leaders of the red-clad movement have said there is no point in further talks, demanding immediate elections. Negotiations last month between the two sides ended in stalemate after the Reds rejected the government's compromise offer to hold polls at the end of the year.
The mostly poor and rural Reds have moved out of the capital’s historic district and converged in an area of Bangkok that is home to several luxury hotels and major shopping centres.

As the protesters left, the authorities moved in to clean up. Cranes hoisted the hulks of armoured personnel carriers splashed with anti-government slogans onto trailers, while cleaners hosed down the blood-stained streets.

The authorities have said they will not try to put down peaceful rallies but have urged the Reds to leave the commercial district, where they have disrupted traffic and caused major shopping centres to close.