NEW YORK, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Human Rights Watch said political confrontations in Thailand have gone from bad to worse as the death toll since November mounts.
The rights group said at least 70 demonstrators and police officers were injured during clashes Tuesday in Bangkok. Since November, at least 16 people have been killed and more than 650 were injured in political clashes.
Brad Adams, director of Asian programs at the rights organization, said in a statement from New York both parties to the violence need to work to bridge the political divide.
"The bloody clashes between Thai police and protesters on Feb. 18 have made a bad situation worse," he said Wednesday.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is struggling to maintain power against opponents who began street protests in November.
The government last month issued an emergency order permitting the detention of protestors without charge. Adams said that, as the crisis in Thailand deepens, all parties needed to take a close look at their policies.
"Impunity for violence and rights abuses is a recipe for lawlessness and extended tit-for-tat violence," he said.
The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday the Thai government said it would challenge a court decision stripping the government of its authority under the January emergency order. The emergency remains in place under the court's ruling, though authorities are prohibited from using force to quiet protests.
