By NBC News’ Warangkana Chomchuen
BANGKOK – Although the leaders of anti-government Red Shirt protesters surrendered to the police Wednesday and most of the demonstrators packed up and went home, the divisions in Thai society are far from over.
Buildings still smoldered and smoke hung over Bangkok’s skyline Thursday from the dozens of buildings set ablaze a day earlier. Sporadic gunfire could still be heard in the heart of the city and a nighttime curfew was extended in Bangkok and 23 other provinces for three more days. The curfew was the first for Bangkok since pro-democracy protests in May 1992.
Meanwhile, groups of soldiers dismantled the protesters encampment in the center of the city Thursday, taking down tents, the protesters’ main stage, stacks of speakers and projectors.
Barbara Walton /EPA
A firefighter cleaning up Thailand's largest shopping complex, Central World, the second largest in Asia, which was set on fire by Red Shirt anti government protesters in Bangkok, Thailand, on Thursday.
Some locals and tourists snapped pictures of part of Central World, a shopping center that had collapsed after being set on fire. One passerby called it "Thailand's Ground Zero." In the background a military vehicle drove slowly by playing a song written to honor the Thai king.
But there are widespread fears that the army’s crackdown on the antigovernment Red Shirt movement might further inflame divisions that have polarized the country for years.
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| VIDEO: After crackdown, Bangkok feels 'unnaturally quiet' |
Day of mayhemOne analyst described Wednesday’s clashes as the most widespread violence in Thailand’s history. At least 15 people, including an Italian news photographer, were killed and scores injured.
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