<p><br /> Thai troops have opened fire on rioting anti-government demonstrators in Bangkok in an attempt to throw a security cordon around their protest site.<br /> </p><p><br /> Tear gas, rubber bullets and live rounds were aimed at "red shirt" protesters who hurled stones and launched home-made rockets on three roads in the capital of Thailand.<br /> </p><p><br /> The latest violence has turned the commerical district into a bloody battlefield.<br /> </p><p><br /> Two people have been killed and at least 22 wounded, including three journalists, since the fighting erupted Thursday night, according to hospitals and witnesses.<br /> </p><p><br /> A Bangkok-based Canadian journalist working for France 24 television station was among the wounded, the station said. Two Thai journalists were also shot.<br /> </p><p><br /> A renegade general, who had been advising red shirts on military strategy, has been shot in the head and critically wounded.<br /> </p><p><br /> The Red Shirts protesters are occupying a historic district of Bangkok to put pressure on Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign and call elections.<br /> </p><p><br /> They believe the coalition government came to power illegitimately through manipulation of the courts and the backing of the powerful military.<br /> </p><p><br /> The British embassy in Bangkok has closed and UK travellers are being urged not to travel to Thailand unless absolutely necessary.<br /> </p>
