By day, Silom Road is the business capital of the country - crowded with office workers and company employees. At night, it's one of the capital's playgrounds, as tourists and fun-seekers head to Patpong, the red-light district known around the world for its bars and night bazaar.
But currently at least five military companies have been deployed on and around Silom. Some troops are stationed in Lumpini Park and others at Sala Daeng BTS station.
A group of red-shirt protesters has, meanwhile, taken positions near King Rama VI in front of Lumpini Park.
"I was stunned when I saw so many soldiers standing around Sala Daeng station," said Charindhorn Paungsab, 33, who works at a private company, after she got off the Skytrain.
"I was a little nervous about the situation," she said. "Today was different from anything I've seen."
Charindhorn, who came to Silom to call on customers, said she believed the soldiers would control the crowd peacefully and without violence. Rolls of barbed wire have been laid to block the road and Sala Daeng station stairways to prevent red-shirt protesters and strangers entering the area.
Soldiers are equipped with guns - some loaded with live ammunition, others with blanks. They insisted they would only shoot in the air if threatened by protesters and would not aim at them. All were equipped with protective vests.
They stood on corners, in front of banks, small shops, and were stationed at roads such as Patpong and Silom Soi 2, known for their go-go bars.
Military trucks, cars, and four long-range acoustic devices (LRAD) were deployed along Silom, for crowd control. White vans carried heavily armed groups of soldiers into position around the area.
Some troops used a military truck equipped with loudspeakers to tell Silom residents they had come to protect them from a group of persons who could cause unexpected incidents and violence.
"Don't be afraid of us. We have come here to protect you from unknown persons who have bad intentions," a 24-year-old military officer, Wanthanee Samanmitr said.
She said she was trying to inform residents about the situation and gain their support for the soldiers and police to keep an eye out for "strangers".
Some Silom office workers and locals supported them and waved national flags greeting soldiers. They also shouted "Rak Chart" or "Love the Nation" to people walking by.
Residents and business people who live and work around Silom area went shopping at the supermarket for water and snacks to give to soldiers and police guarding the area.
A 57-year-old Silom resident, Lek Pipithsombat, stood at the corner of one Silom Soi asking people to donate money to buy water, fresh towels and snacks for the troops.
"I just want Silom to stay at peace," he said. "We want to thank the soldiers for helping us."
Wiwat Pongkasem, a 58-year-old restaurant owner, said the red-shirt protesters should not block Silom Road as it was the main artery of the national economy. He said his customers worried about the situation and some were not visiting the restaurant as they feared violence.
A 35-year-old fish seller, Santiphab Haphan, said he was afraid he could not make money from selling fish as his customers were staying away. "I think they're afraid of the situation," he said.
Noi Phosri, a 51-year-old nurse from Chulalongkorn University, pleaded for the reds to stop demonstrating near the hospital as the noise was troubling patients who needed rest, particularly those recovering from operations.
