Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Thai Red Shirts hurl own blood at PM's house

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100317/D9EGD4981.html



BANGKOK (AP) - Leaders of Thailand's anti-government protesters, who have hurled their own blood at the offices and home of the prime minister, said Wednesday they will remain camped out in capital indefinitely, though in smaller numbers.

Hoping to bring down Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government, red-shirted protesters hurled plastic bags filled with their own blood into his residential compound Wednesday - following similar protests the day before at his office and the headquarters of his Democrat Party.

Several thousand later gathered in front of the U.S. Embassy, saying they wanted to tell the international community that their government is illegitimate.

The "blood sacrifices" grabbed attention, but put the Red Shirt movement no closer to its goal of forcing new elections.

The announcement of plans for an extended protest contrasts sharply with pre-demonstration boasts that they would mount a "million-man march," putting enough pressure on the government to topple it within a few days. More than 100,000 demonstrators converged on the capital Sunday, but their demands and deadlines were snubbed by Abhisit, and the crowd shrunk Wednesday to around 40,000, according to Maj. Gen. Vichai Sangparpai, a commander in the metropolitan police.

The protesters consist of supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption, and pro-democracy activists who opposed the army takeover