`FINAL CRACKDOWN'

Thai Soldiers Arrest Leaders

At least 68 dead after 68 days of protest.

Armored personnel carriers trolled through Bangkok's streets Wednesday as government soldiers carried out a campaign to round up protest leaders and put them in jail. According to The Guardian, rumors that this would be the "final crackdown" spread throughout the night and now the curfew has been extended for three more days. Soldiers opened fire on protesters, as they entered the camp, which had provided a refuge for anti-government Red Shirts for more than a month now. After 68 days, at least 68 have been killed in clashes. A spokesman for the prime minister said the operation was "successful." Said one man, "The Thai army is bad. They shoot Thai people." By the end of the day, peace had yet to come and buildings blazed through the night. "The Red Shirts are not resigned," a protest leader said, "they are enraged."