Protests turn Bangkok street into battleground

Whenever he hears the sound of motorcycles revving outside his apartment in the evening, Mr Pramual Samdeang shuts the windows, while his wife grabs towels to wrap around their eyes should tear gas drift into their home near the Din Daeng intersection in Bangkok.

Almost nightly, over the past few weeks, the intersection has turned into a battleground between riot police and protesters. Residents such as Mr Pramual, 69, and his wife, who are food stall owners, have had to endure, sometimes for hours, the exchange of rubber bullets, tear gas, homemade bombs and firecrackers.