At least 68 wounded when hundreds of army soldiers and anti-government protesters clashed in Bangkok early Monday morning, 14 hours after Thai PM declared a state of emergency in the capital city, Bangkok health department said.

The clash occurred around 04:30 a.m. Monday (2100 GMT Sunday) when some 300 so-called red-shirted protesters used a seized bus to crash soldiers stationed at Din Daeng District in north Bangkok, Army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd told TPBS.

Soldiers fired warning shots into the air and used teargas to disperse the protesters after failing to persuade the "red-shirts" to stop, Sansern said.

The Health Department of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration announced Monday that a total of 68 people were injured. All of them were discharged except two at the Rajvithi and another two at Ramathibodi Hospital. No deaths were reported so far, he said.

Earlier, a doctor with the Narenthorn Emergency Medical Institutue, Thailand's national emergency body, put the wounded number at 49.

Sansern also said the situation, to some extent, has been brought under control.

"Similar operations will be carried out in other areas," he said.

Army Chief General Anupong Paojinda refused to comment on the incident, adding that he will learn more about it first.

At about 06:15 a.m. (2315 GMT Sunday), ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra told the "red-shirts" to continue fighting in a phone conversation with a core leader of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD).

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared on Sunday afternoon a state of emergency in Bangkok and some districts of five provinces nearby, citing the escalating violence of red- shirted protesters.

The latest round of the anti-government protests led by UDD, has entered its 19th day.

Red-shirted protesters on Saturday stormed the venue of ASEAN ( Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit and related summits in Pattaya, and forced the summits canceled.

Editor: Yan