Bangkok Under Curfew as Fears Persist

BANGKOK, May 20, 2010 — -- Bangkok remains calm but tense after Wednesday's deadly riots. The government has extended the curfew until Sunday morning as it tries to gain control of every district.

Thai soldiers loaded hundreds of remaining protesters onto buses to take them out of the city and back to their hometowns. Police are now reportedly collecting forensic evidence in the area of the protesters' camp, which is now filled with trash and burned debris.

At least 74 people have been killed and nearly 1,800 have been injured since anti-government protesters began their demonstrations in March. The so-called Red Shirt protestors are mainly poor, from urban and rural areas, and mostly support ousted populist leader Thaksin Shinawatra.

Fighting raged all day Wednesday, transforming Bangkok into a blazing battleground. Its stock exchange was firebombed, and a shopping mall was burned, as millions of people were warned to stay indoors.

The conflagration came after nine weeks of anti-government protests -- and an ultimatum from the government. Thai troops stormed the camp that protesters had made their home, crushing barricades with armored vehicles and opening fire.

Their leaders surrendered, but hardliners were furious, both with their leaders for giving up and with the army for using force. Some of the worst violence took place in and around a Buddhist temple, where civilians sought shelter.

Canadian reporter Mark Mackinnon was inside and described to ABC News what happened.

"We were sort of trapped with everyone else in there. During that fighting, my colleague was shot in the leg. The rest of the evening … many long hours, there were seven dead people in the compound with us, 10 others on stretchers, including my colleague, and one guy who died in front of us for lack of medical attention. It was really quite tragic."