Troops guard Bangkok businesss district

Red-shirted protesters in Thailand say they will march to Silom Road, a banking and office district in Bangkok, from their main base in an upscale shopping area.

Thai soldiers are patrolling the district to prevent protesters from marching there. Fences have been erected in front of underground stations and shopping malls. Hundreds of armed troops are standing behind barbed wire and metal barricades. Meanwhile, hundreds of protesters are stockpiling poles and clubs behind their lines. Last week's clashes killed 24 and injured more than 800. The five-week protest, an attempt to topple the government of Abhisit Vejjajiva, has also caused severe economic losses of around one billion US dollars since the protesters settled in the business district.