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Army pressure ends Thai protest Army pressure ends Thai protest
(about 2 hours later)
A lengthy anti-government protest in the centre of Thailand's capital, Bangkok, has broken up. Leaders of a lengthy anti-government protest in Thailand's capital have called an end to the stand-off.
Large groups of demonstrators who had been camped around the Government House have been walking away from the area that has been occupied for three weeks. Large groups of demonstrators who had been camped around the Government House left the area after thousands of troops moved to tighten a cordon overnight.
The news follows calls by protest leaders for people to leave the area, after thousands of police and soldiers moved to tighten a cordon overnight. Speaking to the BBC from hiding, one protest leader said the retreat was "an honourable decision to save lives" but vowed that the movement would continue.
Two people died in clashes involving demonstrators and residents on Monday.Two people died in clashes involving demonstrators and residents on Monday.
Red-shirted protesters are demanding the resignation of PM Abhisit Vejjajiva - but he has refused and has urged them to go home. The red-shirted protesters, who had managed to shut down parts of Bangkok for the past three weeks, are demanding the resignation of Prime Minster Abhisit Vejjajiva.
On Tuesday, large groups of activists walked away from their encampment outside the main government offices. I'm sad we've not received justice but if we'd have stayed we would have been in danger Kannika SaikaewProtester class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7997686.stm"> Giving up and going home
I'm sad that we've not received justice but if we'd have stayed we would have been in danger Kannika SaikaewProtester class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7997686.stm"> Giving up and going home Overnight the army hemmed in the several thousand activists, following a day of violent clashes with police and soldiers that left more than 120 people injured.
They were searched for weapons as they left, and the security service brought in 60 buses to transport them from the prime minister's office. More soldiers then moved in, prompting the protest leaders to call on their remaining followers to go home to avoid further bloodshed.
Many of the protesters come from rural areas of Thailand. The activists were searched for weapons as they left, and the security service brought in 60 buses to transport them from the prime minister's office.
Several thousand had erected barricades following running battles with the army and the police on Monday, but their leaders called an end to the protest fearing further violence. Most of the leaders have now turned themselves over to authorities, others have gone into hiding.
Most of the leaders have now turned themselves over to authorities. FROM THE BBC WORLD SERVICE class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/index.shtml"> More from BBC World Service
On Tuesday, protest leader Prateep Ungsongtham Hata told the AFP news agency: "We held talks among the leaders since last night and have agreed that we will disperse our protesters for a while." One such protest leader, Jakrapap Penkair, told the BBC that the campaign may be taken underground - and he did not rule out non-peaceful means in the future to remove the current "disguised dictatorship".
Ms Prateep said the leaders wanted to prevent any loss of life, saying the protesters "really want to fight and sacrifice themselves so we wanted to prevent a catastrophe". "The protest is over, the campaign is not. It fell on deaf ears as expected, but the showing off of the people's power could have changed [the government's] mind slightly.
"We are not surrendering, we are just dispersing the gathering because we have done nothing wrong," she said. "We move fast to the second phase... when they will be forced to hear us six months to a year from now," he said, without giving any details.
Another protest leader, Jatuporn Pronpan, told Reuters: "We have to stop because we need to look after the lives of our supporters." Another protest leader said earlier that the demonstrations were halted to "prevent a catastrophe" as the activists were willing to "fight and sacrifice themselves".
About 120 people were injured in Monday's clashes. The streets were littered with the burnt wreckage of buses and other barricades. As she left the sit-in, red-shirted protester Kannika Saikaew told the BBC: "I'm sad that we've not received justice, but if we'd have stayed we would have been in danger."
Protester Kannika Saikaew, 37, said: "I'm sad that we've not received justice but if we'd have stayed we would have been in danger." Forty-year-old Atchiraya Noontit said: "I'm very disappointed but today we didn't lose. We will be back again when we have the chance."
After a weekend in which the prime minister's authority all but collapsed, PM Abhisit has now been able to reassert his control, says BBC correspondent Jonathan Head in Bangkok. After a weekend in which the prime minister's authority all but collapsed, Mr Abhisit has now been able to reassert his control, says BBC correspondent Jonathan Head in Bangkok.
But this remains a deeply divided society, with little consensus over who should govern it, he adds.But this remains a deeply divided society, with little consensus over who should govern it, he adds.
The red shirts have largely lost popular support after the violence and destruction of Monday, he says. Thailand remains split between the urban and rural poor who support the ousted prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, and his foes in the traditional power cliques of the military and bureaucracy.
Mr Abhisit was appointed by parliament in December last year, after a court ruled that the previous government - allied to Mr Thaksin - was illegal.
Mr Thaksin now lives in exile. His red-shirted supporters in the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) accuse Mr Abhisit of being a puppet of the military.
They say he should resign so fresh elections can be held.
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