updated 12:35 p.m. ET Oct. 7, 2008

BANGKOK, Thailand - Thai protesters demanding the government resign set fire to cars and threw bottles and metal barricades at police, who used tear gas to break through their blockade around Parliament Tuesday. At least one person was killed and more 350 people were injured.

Unarmed military forces were deployed, an army spokesman said.

It was the most violent and widespread unrest in Thailand's six-week political crisis in which protesters have tried to force out supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, the premier ousted in 2006 amid allegations of corruption.

Tensions began building Monday night when protesters surrounded Parliament, erecting barbed wire and tire barricades. They vowed to block Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat from entering to deliver a policy statement to lawmakers Tuesday. Somchai is Thaksin's brother-in-law.

Escalating chaos
The violence erupted early in the morning when police first cleared the street outside Parliament so the prime minister and other lawmakers could enter. Rioting protesters set fire to parked cars, trucks and vans.

Clashes continued throughout the day, with police firing tear gas at protesters, who were armed with batons and slingshots and who threw bottles, metal barriers and firecrackers at police.

In the afternoon, riot police fired volleys of tear gas to break through the protesters' cordon so the lawmakers could leave.

Witnesses reported hearing gunshots throughout the day. Some police were armed with shotguns, and an AP Television News reporter saw at least three protesters carrying guns.

The street-fighting carried on after nightfall, with new clashes erupting outside the Bangkok police headquarters. Forces inside the compound fired tear gas to try to disperse the besieging mob.

Video   Protesters, police clash in Thailand Oct. 7: Anti-government protesters spar with police in Thailand. msnbc.com

1 dead, 358 injured
One woman was killed in the clashes, the director of a disaster coordination agency.

Surachet Sathitniramai of the Narenthorn Center said the woman, whom he did not identify, had chest injuries and one hand had been almost severed from her body when she was brought to a hospital.

About a mile from the fighting, a second person was killed when a Jeep SUV exploded near the headquarters of the Chart Thai Party, a member of Somchai's six-party coalition government. Police said they suspected a bomb caused the blast, but could provide no other details. It was not immediately clear whether the explosion was linked to the political violence.

A total of 358 people, mostly protesters, were injured. A few policemen were among those hurt, said police Lt. Thirapol Pokpong. An Associated Press reporter saw two police inside the parliamentary compound who had been shot by unknown assailants.

"We did not use any weapon other than tear gas and shields to clear the path for parliamentarians to go into the building," said deputy Bangkok police chief Maj. Gen. Umnuey Nimmanno. "It is conventional practice in dispersing a crowd. We did not use disproportionate force."

Thai media reported that Somchai sneaked out the back of Parliament to escape the mob by climbing over a fence.

MORE FROM TODAY

Today Section Front

For love or money? A tough call Is it still taboo to talk about money? Watch out Vegas! New York hears wedding bells Feeding your kids: 7 mistakes to avoid Partners in love, but not in business Brides celebrates 75 years of 'I dos' Nine eliminations on 'The Biggest Loser' Can’t get a date? It’s not them, it’s you Win a trip to the inauguration (she did) Naughty tricks to heat up the honeymoon Today Section Front   Add Today headlines to your news reader: