Thai protest leader calls off demo to avoid more deaths

SUPPORTERS of Thailand's ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra today announced an end to the anti-government protests which have left two dead and caused chaos in Bangkok.

With demonstrators in complete disarray and cornered around government house in the Thai capital, one of their leaders, Veera Musikapong, said: "The protest is over."

He added: "But that does not mean we have surrendered. We do not want any more of our supporters injured."

Buses were laid on to take them home. Mr Musikapong, together with another protest leader, then surrendered to Thailand's police chief.

The announcement came after the number of supporters of his Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship dwindled to two or three thousand from more than 100,000 last week.

Overnight they disappeared in droves. Many looked anxious as they left the barricades, abandoning their red shirts, hats and scarves.

As thousands began the long march back to the north-eastern provinces, the current prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, whose supporters wear yellow, could claim a major political victory. For more than a week Mr Thaksin, who commands tremendous support from the poor people of north-east Thailand, had urged his red-shirts to converge on Bangkok and bring the government of the Eton and Oxford-educated prime minister to its knees.

For a day it looked as if they were winning as they stormed a conference of Asian ministers in the resort of Pattaya, causing them to flee back to their home countries.

The red-shirts then marched on Bangkok gathering over 100,000. As tourists were urged to leave, and the Foreign Office advised British travellers not to go to Bangkok, the situation looked grim. But 43-yr-old Mr Abhisit, who himself was hit by a flying brick, hastily called police and army chiefs together. Yesterday the army moved in, destroying barricades and sending protesters fleeing by firing volleys of predominantly blank shots.

Mr Abhisit said: "Thaksin Shinawatra does not believe in democracy and never did. It is not in his nature." As for the remaining protesters he said: "They can continue to protest if they wish, but they must do it peacefully." Today smoke from burning tyres rose over Bangkok. A warning for British tourists to stay away from Thailand's capital remained in force.