A tire set on ablaze by protesters in Bangkok on Tuesday, May 18. Submitted by Cengiz Yar Jr.

Submitted by Cengiz Yar Jr.

Bio: Cengiz Yar is an American freelance photographer currently living in Bangkok.

My story: The unrest in Bangkok started calmly in March with small protests and has transitioned into full-fledged anarchy this week. The government-led security crackdown in Bangkok to rid the city of Red Shirt demonstrators began early this past weekend.

Protesters appear to start a fire in Bangkok on Saturday, May 15. submitted by Cengiz Yar Jr.

Initial attempts to flush the city turned into rioting at several locations, with anti-government protesters setting tires ablaze in the streets and launching homemade weapon attacks at security forces. As troops tried to regain control during the crisis, the Red Shirt protesters refused to submit. This morning, as government tanks crashed through Red Shirt barricades, protest leaders turned themselves in and though it seemed peace was looming, further chaos broke out on a scale unseen in Bangkok in decades.

Protesters move a street barricade forward in Bangkok on Saturday, May 15. Submitted by Cengiz Yar Jr.

A Thai soldier sits guard near train tracks in Bangkok on Tuesday, May 18. Submitted by Cengiz Yar Jr.

Currently Siam Peragon and Central World, one of the biggest shopping complexes in the world, as well as banks, the Thai stock exchange, movie theatres, and a television station are all on fire with snipers limiting firefighting operations. A curfew imposed in Bangkok and several provinces throughout Thailand started at 8 p.m. this evening and lasts until 6 a.m. tomorrow. Journalists have been warned to remove their green press passes as they have become the most recent target of rogue snipers.

A motorcycle taxi driver stands in the live fire zone in Bangkok on Saturday, May 15. Submitted by Cengiz Yar Jr.

Yesterday and this past Saturday, I spent time walking around Bangkok and the protest sites. Razor wire is strung across usually congested intersections. Roads are empty. Shops are closed. There is a disturbing quiet until one is within distance of the clashes. Gunfire, grenade blasts, and homemade explosives create echoes against empty buildings.

Bangkok is a war zone. I only felt concerned for my safety while entering or being inside the conflict zones.

The streets and markets that are always so full of life around my apartment are completely still for the first time tonight, an all too unpleasant hint that this may only be the beginning.

Your report: Are you in Bangkok? Send us your photos, videos and stories.