Protesters vow to spill own blood

Reuters

ON THE MARCH: Hundreds of supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra on motorcycles lead the march to the base of Thai Army 11th Infantry Regiment in Bangkok.

Tensions high in Bangkok

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Grenade attack raises tension as Thais protest Thai 'Red Shirts' face down govt

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Protest leaders have vowed to collect blood from tens of thousands of anti-government activists and splash it onto the Thai government headquarters in a symbolic sacrifice to press their demands for new elections.

As many as 100,000 "Red Shirt" protesters converged Sunday on Bangkok to demand that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva agree to dissolve parliament by midday Monday.

Abhisit refused and blanketed the capital in security, but said his government was open to listening to what else the protesters have to say.

Frustrated, the protest leaders said they would collect "1 million cubic centimetres" of protesters' blood, or about 1000 litres, to spill at Government House in the Thai capital by Tuesday evening - a tactic slammed by the Red Cross as wasteful and potentially unhygienic.

Weng Tojirakarn, a protest leader and doctor, said the plan would test Abhisit's conscience.

"Now that people have agreed to sacrifice their blood like this, how can he not make a sacrifice by dissolving the parliament?" Weng said.

The Red Shirts include supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and other activists who oppose the 2006 military coup that ousted him for alleged corruption and abuse of power.

They believe Abhisit came to power illegitimately with the connivance of the military and other parts of the traditional ruling class who were alarmed by Thaksin's popularity.

Earlier Monday, thousands of protesters departed from their encampment in downtown Bangkok to besiege an army base on the edge of the capital where Abhisit has partly been based during the protests. He also is believed to have departed the base several times by helicopter.

The protesters beseeched soldiers from outside the gates of the 11th Infantry Regiment, but withdrew after their noon deadline passed without even seeing the prime minister. Soldiers played songs composed by the Thai king in a bid to keep things calm.

Abhisit told a nationwide television audience that his government's goal is not to "remain entrenched" but that it would not step down in response to the protesters.

"The government must listen to the demonstrators. Although the demand can't be met by noon, we are willing to hear what they say," he said.

Charnvit Kasetsiri, a distinguished Thai historian, said that the government has not come out ahead in the episode.

"The fact that the prime minister has to resort to staying at the military base and nobody is aware of his whereabouts now indicates that the situation isn't looking good," he said. "The Red Shirts' plan to pour blood is both symbolic and dynamic. They won't back down that easily."

Two soldiers were wounded Monday by four grenades that exploded inside the compound of the 1st Infantry Regiment, known as the King's Own Bodyguard, army spokesman Col. Sansern Kaewkamnerd said.

He did not blame Red Shirt demonstrators, who were not in the area, but said there has been intelligence that some elements had been planning such attacks.

After withdrawing from the 11th Infantry base, protest organisers announced they were asking each demonstrator to donate between two and 20 teaspoons - 10 to 100 cubic centimetres - of blood. Their initial goal would be to collect 1000 litres, which would require donations from between 10,000 and 100,000 people - roughly the protest crowd's peak size.

Dr Ubonwon Charoonruangrit, a senior official of the Thai Red Cross Society, worried about the risks of untrained people drawing blood, as well as the effects on people who have been out protesting in the heat with little sleep.

She added that 1 million cc of blood "can save many lives."

Some 100,000 Red Shirt protesters have been camped out along a boulevard in the old part of Bangkok, though their number had visibly fallen Monday. A force of more than 50,000 soldiers, police and other security personnel has been mobilised in the capital.

For a second straight day, Thaksin spoke to the demonstrators by video, urging them to continue their struggle in a nonviolent fashion.

On Sunday, he cited the struggle against what he called Thailand's ruling elite. He broadened his appeal Monday by asking lawmakers, soldiers, policemen, judges and members of the bureaucracy to join the Red Shirt cause.

Abhisit heads a coalition government, and if his political partners drop their support, that could help the demonstrators attain their goal.

Thaksin is a billionaire businessman who fled Thailand in 2008 ahead of a conviction on a conflict of interest charge for which he was sentenced to two years in jail.

Thailand has been in constant political turmoil since early 2006, when anti-Thaksin demonstrations began. In 2008, when Thaksin's political allies came back to power for a year, his opponents occupied the prime minister's office compound for three months and seized Bangkok's two airports for a week.

- AP