The government in Thailand has warned that it will take tough action against violent protests after hundreds of workers clashed with police near the capital, Bangkok.

About a thousand factory workers had been blocking a main road into Bangkok in a protest over pay when police moved in to disperse the gathering.

Dozens of workers were reported injured and more than 50 detained in the subsequent clashes - the first serious disturbances since the Thai economy went into decline last year.

Workers face lay-offs and pay cuts

A number of protestors were injured

When Thailand's economy began to falter last year, it was the office workers in the debt-ridden finance sector who were the first to suffer. Many, who had prospered during the boom years, took to the streets.

Their peaceful protests eventually forced the Prime Minister to resign.

Now the main threat to the government is coming from the thousands of manual workers who are either facing redundancy or being forced to take pay cuts.

Social unrest brewing throughout Asia

The disturbances came as US officials warned about the potential for violence throughout the region, as tough economic austerity measures begin to bite into workers' incomes.

Many of the demonstrators this week came from the automobile sector, which has been hit by the collapse of domestic markets and by lower imports by neigbouring countries. Many have been put out of work as factories have cut or suspended production.

Some 1.8 million Thais are already out of work and the figure is expected to climb to more than two million by the end of the year.

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