The Thai government said Monday it would accept a ceasefire offer from a "Red Shirt" protest leader if their fighters end raging street battles and return to their main camp in central Bangkok, as the death toll from five days of violence rose to 37. 

A red-shirt protestor ignites a tyre on a street in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 16, 2010. [CRI Online]

The offer was made by Red Shirt leader Nattawut Saikuwa, who called the government's chief negotiator, Korbsak Sabhavasu, on his cell phone, Korbsak said. It was the first direct talks between the two sides since the fighting started Thursday, but Korbsak said it was unlikely to achieve much as the two sides still remained far apart. 

Nattawut's response was not immediately known. Calls to his phone went unanswered.

Thailand turmoil

Earlier, a Thai government ultimatum passed for the thousands of protesters, who have been camping in an upscale commercial district for more than a month in a bid to force the government from power, to vacate the barricaded protest zone by 3 pm or face up to two years in prison. Meanwhile, unrest flared in various parts of the downtown area outside the barricades, with troops firing live ammunition at protesters who were lighting tires to hide their positions. The thick smoke darkened the sky.

The Red Shirts, many of whom hail from the impoverished north and northeast, are trying to unseat Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and force immediate elections.

Previous attempts to negotiate an end to the two-month standoff have failed. A government offer earlier this month to hold November elections floundered after protest leaders made more demands.

Korbsak told reporters that he talked to Nattawut for five minutes, during which the Red Shirt leader proposed a ceasefire. He said he told Nattawut that the army will stop shooting if he pulls his fighters back from the streets to the core protest site.