Anti-government protests continue in Bangkok. Thousands of red-shirted protesters remain camped out near Bangkok's Government House and say they won't budge until the country's parliament is dissolve and the prime minister steps down.
Supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra set up temporary shelters on the streets in Bangkok. They’re vowing to continue their anti-government rally for weeks to come, demanding the parliament be dissolved.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva again rebuffed their demands and says he needs to serve out his term for nine more months.
Abhisit has said he is willing to discuss holding an election before his term expires at the end of 2011, but protesters say that’s not soon enough.
[Prachin Buri, Protester]: (female, thai)
"He (Abhisit) wants another nine months to cheat us, to usurp the budget, which is comprised of our taxes."
Many of the protesters from Thailand’s poor rural provinces have returned home, and the crowds have petered out, from a peak of over 150,000 when the protests started on March 14.
The remaining protesters said they will not leave until their demands are met.
[Protester]: (female thai) (no title bar)
"He insists that he needs to have a referendum. He doesn't need to go through that process. You just dissolve the parliament and hold new elections. That's also a referendum."
Analysts say allies of ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, the assumed leader and financier of the "red shirts," are likely to win whenever an election takes place, raising the possibility of another judicial or military intervention.
