Thailand: troops advance on protesters - as it happened

10.08am:

Thai troops are advancing towards a redshirt checkpoint as they bid to clear Bangkok's streets of up to 10,000 protesters.

Soldiers are closing in on anti-government protesters rioting near the US and Japanese embassies, firing rubber bullets and teargas.

Late last night the army moved to seal off the redshirt barricaded encampment spanning one square mile in an upscale commercial district of the capital. Around 10,000 protesters, women and children among them, have crammed into the area.

"We are being surrounded. We are being crushed. The soldiers are closing in on us. This is not a civil war yet, but it's very, very cruel," Weng Tojirakarn, a protest leader, told The Associated Press.

Follow the latest here throughout the day as the Thai army bid to clear the capital's streets following weeks of clashes between redshirts and government security forces.

In Thailand, or spotted any useful sources for getting updates from the country? You can comment below, email adam.gabbatt@guardian.co.uk or message me on Twitter: @adamgabbatt
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