英语新闻－泰国士兵向群众开火

（单词翻译:单击）

泰国士兵向曼谷反政府抗议群众开火,74人送往医院，其中大部分轻伤、少数遭受枪伤。军方发言人说抗议者向军方投掷催泪瓦斯以及烟雾弹,军方朝天开枪示警之后才朝抗议者开火。

Thai soldiers have opened fire on a crowd of anti-government protesters in the centre of the capital, Bangkok, who fled before the bullets.
A BBC correspondent witnessed the lunchtime attack which came after a night of tension as troops cleared demonstrators (示威者)blocking a road junction¹.
At least 70 people were injured in the earlier violence close to the landmark² Victory Monument(纪念碑).
Tear gas and bullets were fired as stones and petrol bombs were thrown.

'Hundreds of rounds'

Witnesses(目击者) told the Associated Press news agency that troops had advanced against the protesters at the the Din³ Daeng intersection⁴ between 0400 and 0500 (2100 and 2200 GMT Sunday).
"The soldiers fired hundreds of rounds from their M-16 automatic rifles (自动步枪) as they advanced, though it was unclear whether they were firing at, or over, the protesters," the agency says.

A Bangkok hospital doctor told the BBC News website that 74 people had been brought into hospital, most of them suffering abrasions(擦伤) but some with gunshot wounds.

An army spokesman, Col Sunsern Kaewkumnerd, said about 400 soldiers had moved against some 300 protesters.

He accused protesters of driving a car at the soldiers and said troops had first fired into the air in response to tear gas (催泪瓦斯)and smoke bombs(烟幕弹) thrown at them by protesters.

The soldiers then fired live rounds, he said.

"We will start with soft measures and proceed to harder ones," the army spokesman told AFP news agency.

"We will avoid loss of life as instructed(指导)by the government."

Call for calm

Earlier on Sunday, protesters broke into the interior ministry⁵ (内务部)and at one point attacked a car they thought was carrying Prime Minister(总理) Abhisit. He was not inside.

They blocked a number of busy road junctions⁶ and at least one railway, and took over buses and two armoured vehicles(装甲车).
The collapse⁷ of the summit was a huge embarrassment⁸ to Mr Abhisit Vejjajiva and he has vowed⁹ to restore order, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok.
He appeared on TV just before midnight, called on the public not to panic and to co-operate to end the crisis.
"In the next three to four days, the government will keep working to return peace and order to the country," he said.
The camera panned to the commanders of the army, navy, air force and deputy police chief as he said:
"I can confirm that the government and security agencies are still unified¹⁰."

'Time for revolution'
Mr Thaksin, who addresses his supporters by telephone from self-imposed exile abroad, called for a "revolution" on Sunday.

All sides are urging against violence

"Now that they have tanks on the streets, it is time for the people to come out in revolution," he said in a message shown on giant screens near the prime minister's office.
"And when it is necessary, I will come back to the country."
Under the state of emergency (紧急状态), gatherings¹¹ of more than five people can be banned, media reports can be censored¹² (检查)and the army can be deployed¹³ to help police maintain order.
Last year, the government imposed a state of emergency on several occasions but the army refused to enact¹⁴ the measures.
That crisis eventually led to Mr Abhisit's government taking over from allies of Mr Thaksin.
Our correspondent in Bangkok says the problem for Mr Abhisit is that he rode to power on the back of protests that were just as illegal, and may look hypocritical (虚伪) if he only goes after the red-shirted protesters who embarrassed him.

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