Thai 'reds,' 'yellows' rally on Bangkok's streets

The "red shirts" called for the release of 18 of their detained leaders and their rival "yellow shirts" demanded Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's resignation over his handling of a long-running border dispute with Cambodia.

The rallies were staged ahead of an election that Abhisit says could take place in the first half of the year. On-off anti-government campaigns since 2005 by two groups with a history of, at times, violent protests point to a rocky road for Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy.

The two rallies also took place in defiance of the Internal Security Act (ISA) invoked last Tuesday and banning protests in main government and commercial areas.

There was a heavy presence of riot police, but no attempt was made to block the demonstrators, who protested peacefully.

Last year saw some of the worst political violence in modern Thai history during a 10-week protest and sit-in in Bangkok by "red-shirts," most of whom support ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Gunmen clashed with soldiers on the streets and eventually the military crushed the protest. Ninety-one people were killed and more than 1,800 wounded.

Eighteen "red shirt" leaders have been detained since then and their supporters massed on Sunday outside the Criminal Court, which will make a ruling on a bail appeal on Feb. 21. Kazinform cites Arab News. See www.arabnews.com for full version.