Thai prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has today declared a state of emergency in Bangkok following nearly a month of protests, including a siege by opposition activists of the city's main shopping district.
In a nationally televised address, Mr Abhisit said a state of emergency would help authorities arrest leaders of the red-shirted, anti-government protest movement that has drawn tens of thousands to Bangkok demanding new elections.
Earlier today, hundreds of protesters stormed the grounds of Thailand's parliament today, forcing government ministers to flee by helicopter and raising pressure in a four-week street rally seeking snap elections.
The red-shirted supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra retreated from parliament but tens of thousands remain in Bangkok's main shopping district, refusing orders to leave until Mr Vejjajiva dissolves parliament.
The scene outside parliament was among the most chaotic and confrontational since the sporadic protests began on March 12th.
Protesters massing outside gates of the sprawling complex pressed up against a line of police in full riot gear. When some "red shirts" forced open the iron gate, police melted away and hundreds swarmed on to the grounds, including dozens packed on a truck that drove into the main entrance.
They pressed up against security forces outside the lobby doors but left after about 20 minutes only to regroup outside the gates, brandishing guns and tear-gas canisters they said were seized in scuffles with military police.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban and several other ministers scaled a wall in the compound and escaped by military helicopter. Some had left before the break-in, including Mr Abhisit.
"We have achieved our mission today," Korkaew Pikulthong, a protest leader, told the crowd through a megaphone.
Mr Abhisit faces pressure from Bangkok's elite and middle class and even his own government to halt the rally, but has held back to avert a confrontation many believe would cause greater damage.
Threats to arrest the protesters have not been carried out, emboldening a movement that has tapped an under-current of frustration over a level of income disparity that ranks among Asia's widest according to World Bank statistics.
An Internal Security Act that allows troops to impose order was extended today for two more weeks. But there was no sign of an imminent crackdown as "red shirts" parade through the city on motorbikes, cars and pick-up trucks, waving red flags.
The "red shirts" have taken aim at the urbane, 45-year-old Oxford-educated Mr Abhisit, whom they see as a front man for an unelected elite and military intervening in politics and operating with impunity.
"From today, we will target our actions on people, places and activities connected with Mr Abhisit," said Nattawut Saikua, a protest leader. "Mr Abhisit cannot govern any longer."
They say he lacks a popular mandate after coming to power in a 2008 parliamentary vote following a court ruling that dissolved a pro-Thaksin ruling party. They want immediate elections that Mr Thaksin's allies would be well placed to win.
The "red shirts" have won new support from Bangkok's urban poor but have angered middle classes, many of whom regard them as misguided slaves to Mr Thaksin, a wily telecoms tycoon who fled into exile to avoid a jail term for corruption.
Mr Abhisit has offered to dissolve parliament in December, a year early. Hundreds of police guarded his home today. He cancelled a trip to Washington next week to attend an international nuclear summit, although he planned to join a regional leaders’ summit in Hanoi tomorrow.
Reuters