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Thai police and protesters clash Thai police try to end standoff
(about 7 hours later)
Thai riot police have clashed with anti-government protesters who stormed the Thai prime minister's office compound in Bangkok. Thai riot police have surrounded the prime minister's compound, to try to evict anti-government protesters who took over the building on Tuesday.
Hundreds of officers briefly confronted the intruders at Government House. But demonstrators are vowing to stay camped in the grounds of the premises until PM Samak Sundaravej steps down.
Earlier, thousands of demonstrators invaded government buildings and a state-run TV station. Mr Samak has demanded that they leave by the end of the day, but the police appear reluctant to use much force.
The protesters say Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is a proxy for ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and is now in self-imposed exile. The protesters say Mr Samak is a proxy for former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006.
After the intruders ignored a deadline to leave the prime minister's headquarters, hundreds of riot police moved in during the early hours of Wednesday morning. Mr Thaksin is now living in self-imposed exile in London, after leaving Thailand earlier this month to avoid facing a series of corruption charges.
There were a few clashes between police and protesters Analysts say that Thai society is deeply divided between those who will never trust an administration run by allies of Mr Thaksin, and those - particularly in the countryside - who are his ardent supporters.
The army, in particular, is uncomfortable about being caught in the middle of this conflict, and according to the BBC correspondent in Bangkok, Jonathan Head, there may well be similar divided loyalties in the ranks.
Relaxed atmosphere
Hundreds of riot police cut through makeshift barricades and moved into the compound around Government House during the early hours of Wednesday, clashing with crowds.
There were scuffles between the two sides, and a few minor injuries were reported.
However the police have so far been unable to remove the protesters, and now seem to be watching the ongoing rally from the sidelines.
The demonstrators - from the Peoples' Alliance for Democracy - appear to be in a jubilant and relaxed mood, posing for photographs, picnicking and singing.
Many are clad in yellow as a mark of loyalty to Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Click here to see a map of key protest areas Click here to see a map of key protest areas
They clashed briefly with the protesters, but fighting stopped a few minutes after officers secured the inside of the compound. The protesters have made it clear they do not intend to leave the compound any time soon.
Scuffles "If we leave before this government resigns, that means we are defeated," Chamlong Srimuang, one of the protest leaders, told the crowd.
Deputy police spokesman Major General Surapol Tuanthong told the AFP news agency a few police and protesters had received minor injuries during scuffles. class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/7581951.stm">In pictures: Thailand protest Mr Samak, who is currently stationed in military headquarters, said on Tuesday that his approach would be "soft and gentle," adding that police would simply surround the area until everyone had gone.
Eyewitnesses said the police made no immediate effort to force them out, and appeared to be holding talks with the protest leaders. class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/7581951.stm">In pictures: Thailand protest "They [the protesters] want bloodshed in the country, they want the military to come out and stage a coup again," Mr Samak told a press conference.
The protesters - many clad in yellow as a mark of loyalty to Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej - had scaled fences to enter the grounds of Government House. "I will not resign, I will stay to protect this country," he added.
This forced the prime minister to move to military headquarters elsewhere in the capital.
The demonstrations had started early on Tuesday as more than 30,000 protesters marched through Bangkok's streets.
The masked supporters stormed the main studios of the government-run National Broadcasting Services of Thailand (NBT) and at least three government ministries.
Coup plot claimCoup plot claim
Mr Samak, whose government retains a clear parliamentary majority following his election last December, had earlier accused the protesters of trying to foment another coup. The demonstrations started on Tuesday, with more than 30,000 people taking to Bangkok's streets.
The unrest is the latest in a series of shows of force staged by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) over recent months. Masked supporters stormed the main studios of the government-run National Broadcasting Services of Thailand (NBT) and at least three government ministries, before converging on Government House.
The prime minister has been unable to tame the protests, raising suspicions the organisers may have powerful backers in the armed forces or the royalist elite, say correspondents. Mr Samak's government has a clear majority in parliament, and he insists he retains a democratic mandate from last December's election.
In a TV interview on Tuesday, army chief Anupong Paochinda insisted there would be no attempt to oust the government. But he seems unable to shake off this determined and apparently well-funded anti-Thaksin movement, our correspondent adds.
Despite its name, the People's Alliance for Democracy is actually campaigning for an end to democracy, says BBC Bangkok correspondent Jonathan Head. The unrest is the latest in a series of rallies staged by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) over recent months.
The group formed three years ago as a movement to bring down Mr Thaksin, but despite its name, is actually campaigning for an end to democracy, our correspondent says.
It wants a largely appointed parliament, and a legalised role for the military as a kind of referee in Thai politics, he adds.It wants a largely appointed parliament, and a legalised role for the military as a kind of referee in Thai politics, he adds.
The PAD began three years ago as a movement to bring down Thaksin Shinawatra, then the most powerful elected leader Thailand had ever known.
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