Bangkok:
Plumes of smoke could be seen over a tense Bangkok early on Saturday as the death toll from the latest clashes between the Thai army and anti-government "Red Shirt" protesters hit 16.
Violence continued overnight after troops on Friday opened fire on demonstrators during a military lockdown of their vast fortified rally site in the heart of Bangkok.
Soldiers have blocked roads and set up checkpoints to seal off the area around the wider protest site, which extends for several square kilometres.
The protesters, who are trying to bring down the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, threw stones, used slingshots and launched fireworks at the troops as the two-month standoff descended into more violence.
A total of 16 people -- all of them Thais -- were known to have died since the fresh wave of violence began, according to the official Erawan emergency centre.
The centre said 141 people had been injured, three of them foreigners, whom it identified as being from Canada, Myanmar and Poland. No details were given of their condition.
The France 24 television station said one of its journalists - a Canadian - had been shot and wounded covering the arrest, while two Thai reporters were also amongst the injured. A Japanese cameraman was killed here last month.
Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said troops had come under attack as they moved to seal off the rally area to prevent more Red Shirts from entering.
Troops would step up security measures in the coming days to search for weapons and reduce the number of people entering the area, he said.