Five persons lost their lives, while 59 others were injured during a series of clashes between troops and anti-government protestors on Wednesday, the Erawan's Bangkok Emergency Medical Service Center told Xinhua late Wednesday.

In total, 42 persons died in the clashes from May 14 to May 19, and 366 others were wounded, the center said.

The "red-shirts" leaders announced an end to their two-month- odd rally Wednesday afternoon, hours after the troops began a disperal operation.

Some core "red-shirts" leaders have surrendered to the police. But violence still raged in parts of the capital city as some of the protesters refused to heed their leaders' call to end the rally and set fires in various locations.

The government has imposed a curfew across Bangkok from 8 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday.