Highlights:

• At least 44 people were injured Tuesday in a clash between Thai police and anti-government protesters.
• 25,000 police officers were deployed in a "peace for Bangkok" mission to retake rally sites in Bangkok.
• Police detained two core members of the anti-government PDRC, as well as more than 100 protesters.

BANGKOK, Feb. 18 -- At least 44 people were injured Tuesday in a clash between Thai police and anti-government protesters while the police were trying to retake a rally site near the Democracy Monument in Bangkok.

All of the injured have been rushed to hospitals, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Erawan Emergency Medical Centre.

In the morning, 25,000 Thai police officers were deployed in a "peace for Bangkok" mission to retake five rally sites in the capital, where prolonged gathering of protesters has hindered traffic and work of government functionaries.

The five sites are located near the Democracy Monument, Government House, Energy Ministry, Interior Ministry and Government Complex.

The police detained two core members of the anti-government People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), as well as more than 100 protesters, after retaking the rally site near the Energy Ministry.

Protesters at the Government House have remained since the morning in a standoff with the police, with concrete walls and barbed wires set up between the two sides. The police have tried to negotiate with protesters, but no progress has been made yet.

In the morning, Phrad Buddha Issara, a Thai Buddhist monk leading anti-government rally near the Government Complex, led protesters to dismantle barriers to allow traffic in and out of the complex.