In Thailand, eight people were killed and over 50 injured as street fighting continued for the third day on Saturday in the capital Bangkok with the country's military setting up buffer grounds around protesters demanding Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's resignation. With this, the death toll in the street battles in the past three days rose to 25. Emergency services said eight people were killed and several injured in Saturday's violence. Thai troops fired at protesters as parts of Bangkok's usually vibrant street turned into battle grounds with soldiers trying to isolate a sprawling encampment of Red Shirts demonstrators, who want to topple the government and see the Premier step down. Two weeks ago, the government offered a compromise that included November elections and it appeared the protest might end. However, talks fell apart. Many red shirts support former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a coup in 2006. He is on a self imposed exile overseas to avoid a prison term if he returns on charges of corruption. Meanwhile, the United States has warned its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Thailand and began evacuating non-essential embassy staff and families due to unrest in the country. The State Department said in a statement it would allow non-essential US personnel and their dependents to leave Bangkok if they chose due to escalating violence. The United States on Thursday closed its embassy in Bangkok and said it was very concerned about the violence between the Thai government and protesters there. The State Department said, US embassy personnel who live in affected areas are being relocated to housing outside of the affected areas.