BANGKOK – Thai troops clash with protesters. They fired rifles and threw tear gas at a crowd of anti-government protesters riding motorbikes down a busy expressway Wednesday, blocking their effort to take the demonstrations that have paralyzed central Bangkok into the suburbs. The hours-long confrontation killed one soldier — apparently from friendly fire [meaning the soldiers, not the demonstrators, killed him] — and wounded 18 other people as it transformed the suburban streets into a battle zone. Heavily armed troops took cover behind terrified commuters' cars. And one driver clasped her hands in prayer as the soldiers wove their way through traffic. Security officials suggested [they would like to see] the possibility of an escalation in the violence. More>>