The designation of "live fire zones" by Thai authorities battling anti-government protesters in Bangkok has put them on a "slippery slope" towards serious human rights abuses, a watchdog said Sunday.
The military Saturday declared one area of Bangkok a live fire zone as troops struggled to regain control amid two days of street battles between soldiers and anti-government "Red Shirts" that left 24 people dead.
A military spokesperson has also said that a curfew will be implemented in parts of Bangkok, as the standstill continued.
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"By setting out these 'live fire zones', the Thai authorities are on a slippery slope towards serious abuses," Brad Adams, Asia director at New-York based Human Rights Watch (HRW), said in a statement.
"It's a small step for soldiers to think 'live fire zone' means 'free fire zone', especially as violence escalates. These are city neighbourhoods, and the government should remember that ordinary people live there, not only protesters."
HRW called on the government to immediately revoke the live fire zone designation "that might be used to justify the unnecessary and unlawful use of lethal force".
A foreign witness said Saturday he saw troops fire towards a group of Red Shirts advancing with a Thai flag. The apparently lifeless bodies of three people were later seen lying on the ground.
Under UN rules, lethal force must only be used in cases where a person poses an imminent danger to others' lives, the watchdog said.
"The Thai government needs to be absolutely clear about its rules on using force and ensuring that soldiers and police on the streets strictly follow those rules," said Adams.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said that armed "terrorists" are mixed in with the protesters, who number in the thousands.
Separately, a HRW official reiterated the group's concern that the opposition Red Shirt protesters are using a variety of homemade and other weapons, contrary to their claim to be a non-violent movement.
An AFP photographer on Saturday saw one protester firing a handgun.
After two months of protests and sporadic clashes, the violence escalated late last week as the government launched an operation to seal the protesters' vast encampment in an upscale retail and hotel district.
More than 50 people have been killed and 1,600 wounded since the protests began on March 12, according to figures from the emergency services and the public health ministry.
