The BBC's Rachel Harvey
says Gen Khattiya was quickly taken to hospital






A renegade Thai general who backs
anti-government protesters has been shot, shortly after a deadline for
troops to seal their Bangkok protest camp passed.Khattiya
Sawasdipol, better known as Seh Daeng (Commander Red), was shot in the
head and seriously injured. In clashes later, a protester was
shot dead. The army has moved to seal off the protesters' large camp. A
state of emergency in place in the capital and surrounding areas is to
be extended to 15 other provinces. The BBC's Rachel
Harvey in Bangkok says all talk of reconciliation and election
timetables has been abandoned and the Thai capital is braced for further
bloodshed. The US has closed its embassy in Bangkok saying it is
"very concerned" - and the UK also said it was closing its embassy on
Friday because of the situation. 'Military strategist'People
were earlier urged to leave the area near the protesters' sprawling
camp, and shops and businesses were advised to close before the 1800
(1100 GMT) deadline passed. Public transport was suspended in the area.

KHATTIYA SAWASDIPOL Describes himself as a key military adviser to the red-shirts Suspended from duty in the Thai army where he has the rank of major-general Dubbed Seh Daeng (English: Commander Red), enjoys a cult following among the opposition's radical wing Aged 58, has likened himself to the Mel Gibson character in the film Braveheart Profile: 'Commander Red' In Pictures: Bangkok violence

Some time after the deadline had passed, a volley of shots rang out
and an explosion was heard. Then reports came that Seh Daeng had
been shot and rushed to hospital. He is a suspended army officer
who describes himself as the red-shirts' military strategist. Seh
Daeng is part of the protesters' more radical wing and had accused
red-shirt leaders - many of whom have distanced themselves from him - of
not being hard-line enough. Circumstances surrounding the
shooting, near the Silom business area, are not clear. However,
the New York Times reported that Seh Daeng was shot in the head during
an interview with one of its reporters. Sean Boonpracong,
international spokesman for the red-shirt movement, told the BBC he
believed an army sniper had shot the general. A military
spokesman, Col Sansern Kaewkumnerd, had earlier warned that
sharpshooters armed with live ammunition would move into position in the
area. Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn told the BBC
that troops could only use their weapons in self-defence. He said
any "unusual" engagement would be investigated. The second, and
fatal, shooting happened as a group of more than 100 protesters advanced
towards security forces, our correspondent says. Street lights
have been switched off in the protesters' camp, plunging parts of it
into darkness, but they continue to defiantly blast out music, she adds.
Earlier in the day BBC reporters saw trucks unloading
heavily-armed soldiers several blocks from the encampment, and later a
group of about 200 soldiers moving towards it. The decree
extending the state of emergency to a further 15 provinces gives the
army broad powers to deal with protesters. Mr Panitan said the
new measures were intended to prevent "masses of people trying to come
to Bangkok". Elections demandedThe protesters - who
have been occupying parts of Bangkok for more than two months - want
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and call fresh
elections. Their camp stretches from the city's shopping district
south to its business hub. Mr Abhisit is under severe pressure
to end the protests, which have paralysed Bangkok since 14 March. He
had offered polls on 14 November - but the two sides failed to agree a
deal because of divisions over who should be held accountable for a
deadly crackdown on protests last month. The 10 April operation
left 19 protesters, one journalist and five soldiers dead.