Putin ejects Kremlin ‘puppet master’ after protests

Vladislav Surkov (right) in this February 6, 2007, file photo with then President Vladimir Putin.


The architect of Vladimir Putin’s tightly controlled political system became one of its most senior victims yesterday when he was shunted out of the Kremlin in the wake of the biggest opposition protests of Putin’s 12-year rule.

The sacrifice of Vladislav Surkov, branded the Kremlin’s “puppet master” by enemies and friends alike, is also a rare admission of failure for Russia’s “alpha dog” leader: Surkov’s system was Putin’s system.

Russia’s Putin deflects calls for election rerun

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin listens during a televised question-and-answer session in Moscow December 15, 2011. Putin on Thursday deflected opposition allegations that fraud helped his ruling party win a parliamentary election, saying the result reflected the views of the population.



Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin today dismissed opposition allegations that fraud had helped his ruling party win a parliamentary election and signalled he would not bow to calls at mass protests for the poll to be rerun.

In his annual televised call-in question-and-answer session he tried to shrug off the significance of the biggest opposition protests of his 12-year rule. Initial reaction on social media suggested many Russians see him as out of touch with his people.

Putin, dressed in a suit and tie behind a desk as he took questions by phone and from a studio audience, looked less at ease than in previous years in an appearance intended to help rebuild his authority before a presidential election in March.

“From my point of view, the result of the (Dec. 4) election undoubtedly reflects public opinion in the country,” Putin said in a show broadcast live to the nation.

“As for the fact that the ruling force, United Russia, lost some ground, there is also nothing unusual about this. Listen, we have gone through a very difficult period of crisis, and look at what is happening in other countries.”

Russian police crack down on anti-Putin protests

Policemen detain an activist during a rally to protest against the results of the parliamentary elections and the policies conducted by Russian authorities in Moscow December 6, 2011.


Hundreds of people took to the streets of Moscow for a second successive day yesterday to demand an end to Vladimir Putin’s 12-year rule, defying a crackdown by tens of thousands of police reinforced by crack Interior Ministry troops.

Police said they had detained about 250 people in central Moscow when they tried to stage an unapproved rally and held about 200 more in St Petersburg, where opposition forces have also been emboldened by the prime minister’s worst election setback since he took power in 1999.

After permitting the biggest opposition rally in Moscow for years on Monday evening, the police were out in large numbers. The Interior ministry said about 2,000 special troops were supporting almost 50,000 police, and some moved through the city centre in armoured vehicles in a show of force.

Afghanistan braces for violent polling day

Afghanistan braced for a day of violence today as voters headed to the polls for a parliamentary election that is a crucial test of government credibility and the strength of its security forces.

The Taliban has vowed to disrupt the poll and urged potential voters to stay at home — even as the government called on Afghans to come out to polling stations for what is their second chance to choose their own parliament.

A donkey collapses after being overloaded with election materials to be transported to a village unreachable by vehicles, in Panjshir province, north of Kabul yesterday, September 17, 2010.

“We should try to do our best under the current circumstances. It is very important that the Afghan people come out and vote,” Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who was re-elected last year in a poll marred by fraud accusations, told reporters.

It will not be clear for several weeks at least who among the almost 2,500 candidates have won the 249 seats on offer in the Wolesi Jirga, or lower house of parliament.

Preliminary results from today’s voting will not be known until October 8 at the earliest, with final results not expected before October 30.

Election observers expect thousands of complaints from losing candidates, with Afghanistan’s own poll watchdog expecting a “disputatious” election, which could delay the process further.

Almost 300,000 Afghan soldiers and police are providing security for the poll, backed up by some 150,000 foreign troops.

Kabul so far has been quiet since a heavy clampdown was imposed yesterday.

A wave of abductions spread across much of the rest of the country yesterday however, with 23 kidnappings of people working on the elections, including two candidates.

Significant security failures would be a major setback, with Washington watching closely before US President Barack Obama conducts a war strategy review in December likely to examine the pace and scale of US troop withdrawals.

Observers fear security worries could lead to a low voter turnout, as it did last year when the Taliban staged dozens of attacks but failed to disrupt the process entirely.

However, voter turnout was very low last year in the south and east where Pashtuns, Afghanistan’s main ethnic group, dominate and where the Taliban has its strongest support.

Corruption and fraud are also serious concerns after a deeply flawed presidential ballot last year. A third of votes cast for Karzai were thrown out as fake. Even though he is not standing, today’s vote is seen as a test of Karzai’s credibility.

Washington believes corruption weakens the central government and its ability to build up institutions like the Afghan security forces, which in turn determines when Western troops in Afghanistan will be able to leave.

Voter turnout may also be hit by cynicism and disillusionment. Billions of dollars in foreign aid cash have flowed into Afghanistan over the past nine years but, for many people, have brought no real improvement in their lives.

Myanmar opposition in disarray as polls approach

Boycotts, draconian election laws and resignations of opposition figures have put Myanmar’s ruling generals within easy grasp to sweep the first polls in two decades, just two weeks after setting an election date.

Myanmar’s politically marginalised opposition appears in total disarray in the run up to the much-criticised November 7 polls, experts say, playing into the hands of a military regime with no intention to give up its 48-year grip on power.

“Than Shwe’s (above) only political strategy is divide and rule and a weakened opposition is just what he needs





The leader of the National Democratic Force (NDF) party, Khin Muang Swe, said late on Thursday he would not run for a parliamentary seat, while influential Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday called on members of her now-defunct National League for Democracy (NLD) party to abstain from voting.

The moves, whether tactical or retaliatory, come as parties grapple with huge registration fees, strict campaign rules, intimidation by military agents and barely any time to recruit enough members to contest the election.

According to rules announced last week, campaign gatherings and publications will require official approval, criticism of the military is outlawed and election authorities are empowered to ban acts of “holding flags and chanting slogans”.

“This is just what the regime wants and has planned all along,” said Aung Naing Oo, a Burmese academic based in neighbouring Thailand.

“(Junta leader) Than Shwe’s only political strategy is divide and rule and a weakened opposition is just what he needs.”

Most analysts and opposition parties say the military has formed its own proxy party that is sure to win most seats in a parliament packed with army appointees, because of its big budget and sheer size and span of its representation.

The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is comprised of incumbent army-picked ministers recently retired from the military and critics say it enjoys the backing of the powerful business elite.

Opposition at odds

Even if unpopular with mainstream Myanmar people, who voted overwhelmingly in favour of Suu Kyi’s NLD in the annulled 1990 poll, an overall USDP victory appears almost guaranteed against an under-funded opposition unable to campaign freely or come up with enough money to field candidates in all constituencies.

Moreover, analysts say, the opposition appears to be struggling to forge a common stance unlike the last polls.

The Union Democratic Party (UDP) last week said it would boycott the election if it believed it would not be free and fair. Its leader, Phyo Min Thein, seen as one of the biggest hopes for democracy, quit on Aug 15 and said fair polls were impossible.

Thu Wai, chairman of Democratic Party (Myanmar) and a former political prisoner, disagrees and says a boycott would play into the hands of the military junta and give it legitimacy.

Election laws were so tight, he added, the junta-backed USDP did not need to cheat to win.

“These parties are divided over what’s the lesser evil,” said Christopher Roberts, a Myanmar expert at the University of Canberra.

“Do they enter a less-than-perfect process that’s better than nothing or take a principled stance and boycott to push for a better model of democracy? Either way, it doesn’t look like the generals and their proxies will face much of a challenge.”

Thaksin quits as Cambodia’s economic adviser

Fugitive former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has resigned as Phnom Penh’s economic adviser, a move that would certainly pave the way for the return of normal ties between Thailand and Cambodia.

Acting government spokesman Dr Panitan Wattanayagorn confirmed today the resignation of Thaksin, and the Thai government had been informed of the latest development.

In an immediate response, Bangkok will reinstate its ambassador to Phnom Penh Prasas Prasasvinitchai tomorrow, according to Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya. Cambodia too was expected to send back its ambassador to Bangkok soon, said Kasit.

News report from Phnom Penh cited “personal difficulties in fulfilling his role completely” as the reason for Thaksin’s resignation.






On Nov 5, 2009, Bangkok recalled its ambassador to Cambodia to protest the appointment of Thaksin (picture) as economic adviser to the Cambodian government by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

In a tit for tat, Phnom Penh too asked its ambassador to Bangkok to return home. Thaksin, who was ousted in a military coup in September 2006, fled Thailand in 2008 just before a court sentenced him to two years in jail for abuse of power in the Ratchadepisek land case.

The Thai-Cambodia relationship was also strained when Phnom Penh refused to extradite Thaksin to Thailand and the move was seen by Bangkok as interference in the internal affairs of Thailand and a denial of the Thai judicial process.

On the three Thai villagers arrested after straying into Cambodian territory recently, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said there was no need to use diplomatic channels to solve the problem as it could be settled through the local authority channels.

The three were arrested by Cambodian soldiers while gathering fruits and hunting in the forest along the border.

Judge allows California gay marriage to resume next week

People waves flags outside City Hall after a judge lifted the Proposition 8 stay on same sex marriages in San Francisco, California August 12, 2010

A federal judge ruled yesterday that gay marriages could resume next week in California while his landmark ruling last week that overturned a ban on same-sex matrimony is appealed.

The order to allow gay marriage will take effect at 5pm PDT on Wednesday.

That will give an appeals court time to consider “in an orderly manner” whether the voter-approved ban, known as Proposition 8, should be left intact while appellate judges weigh the merits of the overall case, US District Court Chief Judge Vaughn Walker ruled.





Late yesterday, defenders of Proposition 8 filed papers asking the appellate court to block same-sex marriages for the duration of the broader appeal.

Both sides expect the case eventually to be appealed right up to the US Supreme Court, giving the California legal battle national importance. The case against Prop 8 marks the first major challenge in federal court to a state law barring marriage between same-sex couples.

Gay rights advocates and civil libertarians have cast the legal battle as a fight for equal rights, while opponents, including many religious conservatives, see same-sex marriage as a threat to the traditional family.

Thirty-nine US states have laws explicitly prohibiting gay marriage. Only five states — Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire — and the District of Columbia — allow same-sex unions.

Yesterday’s ruling left neither side completely happy.

San Francisco City Hall’s steps were lined with gay couples hoping for a green light from Walker to wed and their supporters.

“I think they should have lifted the stay today,” said James Olivera, 58, a gay marriage supporter.

“God’s holy law has been trampled on by one person,” responded Viktor Choban, 27, a supporter of the ban.

Walker ruled last week that Prop 8 violated due-process and equal-protection rights under the US Constitution.

Yesterday, he wrote that proponents of the ban had failed to show any irreparable harm that could arise from allowing gay weddings to go forward while the matter is under appeal.

“Proponents had a full opportunity to provide evidence in support of their position and nevertheless failed to present even one credible witness on the government interest in Proposition 8,” he wrote.

Walker’s decision to delay his ruling did not come as a surprise, said Kate Kendell, executive director of the National Center for Legal Rights.

“There’s both a political dimension here, and there’s a human dimension,” Kendell said. “Walker certainly wants to avoid any sort of stutter step when it comes to the ability of people to marry and to do so with some certainty.”

A three-judge panel including two leading progressive judges is likely to decide whether to keep the ban in place for the year or more the appeal takes.

Charles Cooper, the lead trial attorney for Protectmarriage.com, a supporter of Prop 8, said he expected the appeals court to support voters behind the ban.

“The decision whether to redefine the institution of marriage is for the people themselves to make, not a single district court judge, especially without appellate scrutiny,” he said in a statement.

Reclusive Myanmar to hold elections on Nov 7

Myanmar will hold its first parliamentary elections in two decades on Nov. 7, state media said on Friday, ending speculation over the timing of a poll criticised by rights groups as a sham to entrench military power.

As of this week, at least 40 parties had registered to take part in the first civilian government in almost half a century in the reclusive, army-ruled country of 48 million people.

The United States, Britain and human rights groups have said the elections would be illegitimate if the military junta denies a role to thousands of political opponents now in prison, including detained Nobel Peace Prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi.





Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party, which won by a landslide in the last elections in 1990 only to be denied power by the military, has refused to register with the authorities in protest at what it called “unjust” election laws.

Many diplomats and analysts see the polls as intended to strengthen the military’s power under the guise of civilian rule in an attempt to lure investment to the resource-rich country nestled strategically between booming China and India.

“It’s essentially a costume change,” said Jacob Ramsay, senior analyst for Southeast Asia & Pacific for British-based security consultants Control Risks.

At least seven parties registered with the election commission are believed to be proxies of the military, which will retain control of key ministries and enjoy a 25 percent quota of parliamentary seats under a new constitution.

The armed forces chief will be more senior than the president. There are no indications an estimated 2,000 political prisoners will be released before or after the elections.

“The government has been working hard in the past months to disqualify or marginalise all possible contenders who might form an opposition to its plan to essentially parachute its generals into civilian roles,” said Ramsay.

Suu Kyi has spent 15 of the past 21 years in detention and remains under house arrest. The constitution bars her from standing in the election because of her criminal record as a political detainee and because her late husband was a foreigner.

Her NLD party was dissolved this year after deciding not to register for the polls.

Daughter of the hero of the country’s campaign for independence from British rule, Suu Kyi emerged as a champion of political reform during an unsuccessful student-led uprising for democracy in 1988. A year later she was first detained.

The National Democratic Force, a renegade faction of the NLD opposed by Suu Kyi, will run to challenge the junta’s proxies and says it will work with other pro-democracy parties. But without Suu Kyi, few expect it gain traction.

One of Myanmar’s biggest opposition political parties, the Union Democracy Party, threatened this week to pull out of the elections if there were signs of foul play by the ruling military in the run-up to the polls.

Some parties have accused the regime’s military intelligence unit of spying on and trying to intimidate their members.

Political analysts and diplomats, however, say the election could mark a turning point which, over the longer term, delivers a gradual transition of power to a civilian government free of military control. They add that this would be an evolutionary process rather than a junta-inspired shift.

Thai protest leaders surrender after deadly army assault on Bangkok camp... but violence rages on

Darkness descends: Thick black smoke from the protesters' encampment descends through the air behind Chulalongkorn hospital. Despite protest leaders surrendering, the violence continued

Blanketed: Smoke billows from a commercial area of Bangkok where Red Shirt demonstrators had their camp

'D-Day': A soldier fires his rifle at Lumpini Park as part of this morning's operation

*Seven top leaders of the Red Shirts surrender to police
*Government imposes ten-hour curfew
*But enraged protesters refuse to give up and target a ritzy shopping mall
*Red Shirts set fire to the Stock Exchange building and TV station headquarters

Bangkok has become a raging battleground as the army stormed a fortified protest camp and toppled the Red Shirt leadership, enraging demonstrators who fired grenades and set fires that cloaked the skyline in a black haze.

Seven leaders of anti-government protest group the Red Shirts surrendered to authorities today, and the army declared itself in full control, but the violence continued.

Surreal scenes of warfare erupted soon after dawn in one of the ritziest parts of the capital - a city of ten million people - as troops armed with M-16s converged on the central business district.

The chaotic end to the Red Shirt campaign is certain to deal a heavy blow to the economy and tourism industry of Thailand.

A ten-hour curfew came into force in Bangkok and 18 other provinces at 8pm local time. The government said army operations would continue through the night in the Thai capital.

It is the first time that Bangkok has been put under curfew since 1992, when the army killed dozens of pro-democracy demonstrators seeking the ouster of a military-backed government.



Assault: Soldiers rammed armoured vehicles into tyre-and-bamboo barricades

Retaliation: Thick smoke from several fires is seen near the Siam Paragon shopping complex in Bangkok. Dissappointed protesters started looting, setting fires, shooting and throwing bombs after their leaders surrendered to police

Dangers of the job: Rescue workers transport a Dutch journalist, who was shot in the leg in the violence

 

Troops, trailed by journalists, run for cover. Three foreign reporters have been shot during the military operation, one of whom is thought of died

Decision time: Protest leaders have argued over whether they should continue to resist or negotiate a truce with the government to end the street violence

Monk arrested and tie by the hands after shots were fired at a Temple.

The Red Shirts are demanding the ouster of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government, the dissolution of Parliament and new elections.

At least 42 people have been killed, most of them civilians, in a week of violence in Bangkok as the military attempted to blockade the protesters, who have been camping out for more than four weeks.
Seven top Red Shirt leaders turned themselves in, saying they could not see their supporters being killed anymore.

'Brothers and sisters, I'm sorry I cannot see you off the way I welcomed you all when you arrived here. But please be assured that our hearts will always be with you,' Nattawut Saikua, a key leader, said as he was being arrested.

'Please return home,' he urged supporters.

Another senior leader called for protesters to give up and go home.

'I apologise to you all but I don't want any more losses. I am devastated too. We will surrender,' Jatuporn Prompan said from a stage in the protest camp.
Government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn declared the first stage of the army operation to secure the area around Lumpini Park successful.

But the advance was stalled by sniper fire from protesters. Bullets flew overhead and several grenades exploded near the soldiers, forcing them to pull back and take cover briefly before pushing forward.

By mid-afternoon in the capital, the army announced it had gained control of the protest zone and the operations had ended - nine hours after troops launched the pre-dawn assault.

'Police officers and soldiers have now stopped their operation,' army spokesman Colonel Sansern Kawekamnerd said.

Despite the army statement and the surrender by the leaders, many enraged protesters refused to give up.Rioting spread to other previously unaffected areas of Bangkok and the northeast of the country.

A high-end shopping mall, Central World, was set on fire and smoke was seen rising from several places in the capital.

There were also reports that the Red Shirts had set fire to government offices in the northeastern province Udon Thani and vandalised a city hall in Khon Kaen, also in the northeast.
Udon Thani's governor asked the military to intervene.

Earlier toady, sharpshooters with armored shields took up positions on an elevated rail track as troops marched past upscale apartment buildings and a hospital to retake the area around manicured Lumpini Park, which has been under the control of the so-called Red Shirt protesters camped there for weeks.

The move to surrender came after soldiers rammed armoured vehicles into tyre-and-bamboo barricades in a crackdown after a week of deadly clashes, killing at least five people, including Italian freelance photojournalist Fabio Polenghian.

Three foreign journalists are also believed to have been shot during the operation.

'This is D-Day,' said one soldier when asked if this was the final push to clear the protest zone.

Staff at the Thai local TV station Channel 3 say their building has been attacked by Red Shirt protesters.

One employee said cars parked outside the building were set on fire and protesters then entered the Channel 3 building.

A journalist said the Red Shirts also set fires at the Stock Exchange of Thailand building.

Journalists at Bangkok Post daily said they were evacuating their building following threats from the Red Shirts.

Protesters have accused local media of being biased toward the government.

The violence has also taken its toll on foreign media with one Italian photographer shot dead, a dutch journalist wounded by a gun shot to the leg, and another journalist in his late 40s also shot in the leg.

The Thai government claimed that the army has been successful in its latest push to clear the area.


The demonstrators marched into Bangkok in mid-March to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, dissolution of Parliament and immediate elections.

They created an encampment in Bangkok's wealthy Rajprasong district in April, surrounding themselves by a barricade of tires and bamboo spears, some of which appeared to be in flames this morning.

'This is the last push. Looks like the government really wants to end it this time,' said Senator Lertrat Rattanawanit, who had tried to mediate between the two sides.

'They have laid out the steps, giving out deadlines for people to move out and all that. It's a pity that using force is inevitable.'

Asked if losses could be prevented, he said: 'It's impossible.'

At the protest zone's barricades, bamboo spears splintered as two armoured personnel carriers rammed into the barrier, then backed up and tried again.

They repeated the process several times and punched large holes, pushing the wall into a crumpled mass but not bringing it down entirely.

An army commander said some Red Shirt protesters were about 200 yards inside the barricade.

Soldiers tightened their blockades around the protest site at dawn and used loudspeakers to tell all people to return to their homes.

A government building was on fire in another part of Bangkok.

The government first tried to clear another encampment in the historic part of Bangkok on April 10, but the operation ended disastrously when 25 people were killed and more than 800 wounded.

A second military operation, to blockade the consolidated Rajprasong camp to cut off protesters' supplies, was launched last Thursday, triggering almost daily clashes between troops and protesters.

Today's assault began with hundreds of troops and police, many armed with M-16 assault rifles, gathering in nearby streets and alleys before dawn.

Three armoured personnel carriers parked in front of the upscale Dusit Thani hotel, across the street from the southern edge of the barricade. Their machine gun mountain turrets pointed toward the barricade wall of tyres, and troops crouched behind the vehicles.

The operation came after Abhisit rejected protesters' unconditional offer to negotiate yesterday and insisted there would be no talks until the dwindling anti-government movement abandoned Rajprasong.

The troops appeared to be pushing from the southern border of the encampment in a bid to force some 3,000 protesters still holed up inside into buses waiting at the northern exit.

The Red Shirts say Abhisit's government came to power through manipulation of the courts and the backing of the powerful military, and that it goes against results of a 2007 election to restore democracy after a military coup.

Protest leaders have argued over whether they should continue to resist or negotiate a truce with the government to end the street violence.

On Tuesday, the mood in the core protest zone was subdued, with none of the dancing and festivities that previously lent the area a carnival-like atmosphere.

Periodically, protest leaders delivered fiery speeches, meant to keep the crowd motivated. But the crowd responses were not as full throated as before. Gone also were most food vendors, and mounds of rotting garbage piled up outside the camp's sharpened bamboo gates.

Previous attempts to negotiate an end to the stand-off have failed. A government offer earlier this month to hold November elections fell apart after protest leaders made more demands.

The violence in Bangkok, a popular stop for tourists heading to Thailand's world-famous beaches, has caused concern internationally and raised doubts about the stability of this South-East Asian nation.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1279526/Thai-Red-Shirt-protest-leaders-surrender-Bangkok--violence-rages-on.html#ixzz0oR2JCvPI







Gunshots rang out Thursday near a Buddhist temple in the heart of an anti-government protest zone in Bangkok, and soldiers were advancing on foot along an elevated train track, witnesses said.

Several gunshots were heard, striking panic into the crowd of some 2,000 people who had gathered at the temple where the bodies of six people killed in a gunbattle the day before were laid out.

The crowd retreated into the temple for shelter, as a group of six or seven soldiers took up positions on the "Skytrain" track, and advanced towards the area.

Thai security forces stormed the "Red Shirts" protest camp on Wednesday in a bloody assault that forced the surrender of the movement's leaders who asked their supporters to disperse.

Police open fire in Kathmandu protest against Maoist guerrillas

Flashpoint: Police fired warning shots at a crowd of 20,000 who were protesting an enforced six-day general strike

Weight of support: The 20,000 protesters were backed by the U.S. which has called for the strike to be aborted

Clashes: Friends carry an injured man away for treatment after he suffered a head wound during scuffles over the strike, enforced by the country's Maoists

Violence: Protesters flee the riot police wielding long batons and shields

Police used tear gas to break up the crowd of protesters

Police in Kathmandu fired warning shots today as thousands of protesters gathered in Nepal's capital to demand an end to a crippling general strike imposed by former communist guerrillas seeking the government's resignation.

The crowd of 20,000 - including doctors, lawyers, business executives, singers, teachers, and labourers - demanded a halt to the six-day strike that has shut down transportation, businesses and schools in Kathmandu and other cities.

It was the largest protest against the Maoist-imposed strike since it began on Sunday.

The Maoists want Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal to resign and hand power over to a Maoist-led administration. The government has said it won't bow to the demands.



The Maoists traditionally back their strike calls with the threat of violence against those who defy them, and their supporters went into Kathmandu neighborhoods to try to forcibly shut shops that owners opened for business.
Thousands of police in riot gear guarded the capital's streets to prevent violence.
Police reported at least two clashes and officers shot weapons into the air and fired tear gas canisters to bring the situation under control.

No information on casualties was immediately available.

The unrest has raised fears of renewed bloodshed in Nepal, where the Maoists ended their decade-old insurgency - which left an estimated 13,000 people dead - and joined a peace process in 2006.
The communists won elections in 2008 and briefly led a coalition government. A dispute over the army chief's firing, however, split the coalition, leading to the formation of the current administration that the Maoists are trying to topple.

Residents opposed to the strike began lashing out on Thursday, assaulting strike supporters and setting a car on fire in scattered clashes in the capital and other towns.

The unrest comes as Nepal's Constituent Assembly, elected to draw up a new constitution, struggles to draft the charter before its term expires May 28.

Thai PM vows not to allow protesters to intimidate public again-Thai hospital near protest evacuates some patients

Political unrest: Bangkok police officers assemble outside Chulalongkorn Hospital which was stormed by anti-government protesters

Anxious: A mother waits with her child at Chulalongkorn Hospital before being evacuated to a different facility

A hospital in Bangkok next to an anti-government protest camp evacuated some of its patients on Friday after protesters forced their way into the grounds to look for soldiers they thought were there preparing an attack.

More than 200 "red shirt" protesters had barged into the grounds of Chulalongkorn University Hospital late on Thursday to look for troops.

They found none and left after roaming through the grounds, the lobby and car parks, some carrying wooden staves, for an hour. Some said they wanted to return on Friday to make sure there were no troops there but "red shirt" leaders ruled it out.

"We have told them it was an inappropriate move. We truly apologise for any inconvenience caused. Some were very concerned the hospital was harbouring troops," Weng Tojirakarn told Reuters.




The hospital is near the Silom business district, scene of deadly clashes on April 22. It evacuated some patients from late Thursday but hospital director Adisorn Patradul said it would remain open and many in-patients who cannot be moved would stay.

Hospital management denies there are any troops on its site but thousands of soldiers and riot police are in the area to contain a weeks-long protest movement aimed at forcing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and hold early elections.

Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announced Friday the government will not allow the anti-government protesters to intimidate the public again.

Abhisit addressed the nation on a live television at about 12: 00 p.m. saying the Thai government is sorry that the anti-government protesters stormed into the Chulalongkorn Hospital on Thursday night.

He said the anti-government protesters had caused hardship by intimidating the people around their rally sites.

The Center for Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) and involved authorities are discussing necessary actions to prevent the protesters from intimidating the people again, he said.

At the same time, the government's checkpoints set up around the rally site to block people from joining the protests have been proved more effective, the prime minister said.

The Chulalongkorn Hospital, which is not far from the main anti-government rally site, is located in the center of capital Bangkok.

The anti-government "red-shirt" rally has been held from March 12 and they are now gathering at the Rathchaprasong Intersection -- their main rally site.

They have demanded Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to " immediately" dissolve the lower House of parliament and hold a new general election.

They are viewing that, apart from the House dissolution, there is no other solution to the country's ongoing political conflict.

But, at the same time the rise of Thais in "various-color shirts", who have opposed the early House dissolution, is increasingly growing.

Thai troops, protesters clash in Bangkok suburb-Thai king speaks for first time in political crisis ask new appointed judge to act honestly according to oaths to stabilize country.

Thai army soldiers fire at anti-government ''red-shirt'' protesters on a highway near the old airport in the northern suburbs of Bangkok April 28, 2010.

Thai troops fired live rounds in the air and shot rubber bullets in a chaotic clash with anti-government protesters on a highway in Bangkok's suburbs on Wednesday that wounded 10 people and possibly killed one.

Soldiers used rubber bullets or fired into the air with automatic weapons in an attempt to stop a convoy of up to 2,000 "red shirt" protesters on pickup trucks and on motorcycles who had left central Bangkok in defiance of a state of emergency .

About 100 protesters had moved ahead of the main convoy, charging the troops and riot police, who used batons and shields to push them back. Some protesters fought back by hurling stones and shooting metal balls from sling-shots, witnesses said.

The fighting stopped as a powerful tropical rainstorm moved over the traffic-choked area about 40 km (25 miles) from central Bangkok on Vipawadee-Rangsit road.

Meanwhile , Thai king speaks for first time in political crisis ask new appointed judge to act honestly according to oaths to stabilize country.



A Reuters photographer said a soldier was shot in the head and was feared dead.

An official at Bhumibol Airforce Hospital in northern Bangkok said at least 10 people had been admitted there. The nature of their injuries was not immediately clear.

The main convoy with hundreds of protesters was about 8 km (five miles) behind the scene of the clash, the latest violence in a seven-week crisis that has killed 26 people, wounded nearly 900, paralyzed Bangkok and started to squeeze Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy.

The protesters, honking horns and singing on the back of their pick-up trucks and motorcycles, left their fortified base near the business district on Wednesday morning, heading for a market 50 km (30 miles) away.

Riot police and troops did not try to stop them initially and thousands remained at their encampment in a ritzy shopping district in central Bangkok they have occupied since April 3.

Security forces reinforced checkpoints outside the shopping district with more troops and police.

The mostly rural and urban poor red shirts inflicted traffic chaos in Bangkok on Tuesday by stacking tires on the elevated platform of a commuter train station by their protest site, worried troops would use Bangkok's Skytrain to attack them.

The red shirts set out gas cooking canisters along their three-meter (10 ft) high barricade on the edge of the Silom business district overnight, a Reuters reporter said. The medieval-like barriers have been doused with fuel so they can be turned into a wall of fire should security forces try an assault.

Thailand's stock index was down 0.9 percent at 4:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday as the country's political crisis outweighed good quarterly results. The index has lost 3.30 pct so far in April, when the protests turned violent, versus a 1.8 rise in Asian markets outside of Japan.

TROOP MOVEMENTS

Troop movements were reported in central areas of Bangkok late on Tuesday and army spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said some were "training" for an eventual dispersal of the protesters.

Hopes for a negotiated end to the crisis were dashed at the weekend when Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva rejected a proposal by the protesters for an election in three months.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuangsuban said the security forces would stop protesters moving around in defiance of a state of emergency. "It is clear the protesters are not gathering peacefully. We will not be lenient with these people any more."

Many in the army, which led a failed operation against a red-shirt rally on April 10 when 25 people were killed and 800 wounded, do not want to be dragged into battle with civilians.

Adding to the volatile mix, groups opposed to the red shirts -- and the loss to business and livelihoods the protests have caused in Bangkok -- have held rallies in the capital and want to see the red shirt encampment broken up.

The red shirts back ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a 2006 coup, and say Abhisit came to power illegitimately with tacit military backing.

Thaksin, a former telecoms tycoon revered by the poor and reviled by Bangkok's elite, was convicted in absentia on corruption-related charges and lives abroad to avoid jail.

Analysts say the deadlock and a possible deterioration in law and order could continue for weeks, damaging the economy, with consumer confidence flagging and the tourist industry suffering, especially in the capital.

If the protests drag on for three months, it could shave 0.64 percentage point off Thailand's 2010 economic growth forecast of 4.5 percent, the government has said.



For the first time amid the political upheaval raging in Thailand, the nation's revered king spoke out Monday, calling on new judges to help stabilize the country.

Speaking from the hospital where he has been since last year, King Bhumibol Adulyadej addressed a group of newly appointed judges.

"I would like all you to preserve honesty," he said, adding that "it will be a way to help the country to be progressing and stabilized at the same time."

He told the judges they could "be seen as model" for people who work in all sorts of jobs.

The king added that in performing their duties, the judges "would help to uphold justice and order of the country, and this is very important. If you do follow your oath strictly, it will help bring order to the country, certainly."

Thailand is facing a political crisis, with civilians and members of the military clashing in the streets. On April 10, more than 20 people were killed in clashes, and several bombs exploded in a business district.

King Bhumibol, the world's longest reigning monarch, wields little political power, but is revered and enjoys immense popularity.

Clinton urges Iraq to form new government quickly-50 electoral candidate were suspended hampering election results amid factional squabbling.

 

Nuri al-Maliki's State of Law party won 89 seats in the Iraqi elections

 
Iyad Allawi's secular coalition narrowly won the March 7 vote


 
Iraq has suspended more than 50 electoral candidates.


US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday urged Iraqi leaders to resolve rows over the March elections and form a new government quickly, as more winning candidates risked being disqualified.

With a major US troop drawdown set for August hanging in the balance, Clinton amplified concerns among US officials over Iraq's long drawn-out effort to finalize the election results amid factional squabbling.

A judicial panel was set to rule Wednesday on the fate of nine other election-winning candidates who stand to be disqualified in a process that has thrown formation of the government into disarray.

On Monday, the panel eliminated at least one winning candidate and around 50 others who failed to secure parliamentary seats, drawing anger from former premier Iyad Allawi whose secular coalition narrowly won the March 7 vote.

One of those disqualified was a winning candidate from Allawi's Iraqiya bloc, which has alleged that it is being targeted by officials and religious parties who do not want him to obtain power.



Allawi, a Shiite, whose strong backing in Sunni Arab areas led him to defeat incumbent Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, also Shiite, 91 seats to 89, according to unofficial results, said Iraqiya would challenge the disqualifications.

Clinton appeared to echo concerns about the process of verifying the election results.

"The United States respects the legal avenues that Iraq has set up for challenges to candidates and to electoral results," the chief US diplomat said in a statement.

"However, for challenges to be credible and legitimate they must also be transparent and must accord with the laws and mechanisms established for the conduct of the elections," she said.

Clinton was careful to say the United States "does not support a particular party or candidate" and instead wants a "long-term partnership" with a stable, sovereign and self-reliant Iraq, as Washington cuts its troop presence there.

"The United States calls upon Iraq?s leaders to set aside their differences, respect the courageous ballots of the Iraqi people, and to form quickly a government, that is inclusive and represents the will of all Iraqis," she said.

The US ambassador to Baghdad, Christopher Hill, on Monday voiced concerns about delays that, almost seven weeks after the election, have left Iraq apparently no closer to forming a government after a tight election race.

In a news conference in Ankara, Allawi said his party's lawyers would object to the disqualifications at the appeals court. "I am sure we will be successful," Allawi said.

But he appeared less confident that the procedures being followed were fair.

"Frankly, we are very worried... the political process is now in the hands of a group of people from the Iraqi judiciary," Allawi said. "They pass or reverse decisions to their liking."

Although Allawi defeated Maliki, both fell massively short of the 163 seats needed to form a majority in a new 325-seat parliament, ushering in so far fruitless coalition negotiations between them and smaller parties.

Ali al-Lami, the chief of a controversial Justice and Accountability committee (JAC), whose recommendations were approved by a three-member judicial panel on Monday, said two of the 52 disqualified candidates had won seats in the election.

He said the decision was based on their links to the Baath party of now executed dictator Saddam Hussein. "Tomorrow, they will pronounce on nine other winners," Lami told AFP.

However, Hamdiyah al-Husseini, a senior official from the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), Iraq's election authority, told state television late Monday only one winning candidate had been disqualified.

But a spokesman for the commission, Ayad al-Kilnani, confirmed to AFP Tuesday that 52 candidates had been disqualified, and that they would have a month to appeal the decision before a seven-judge panel.

Iraq election turmoil as panel invalidates votes

A policeman stands guard at a checkpoint at the entrance to Sadr City, northeastern Baghdad, April 24, 2010.

A review panel on Monday invalidated votes cast for 52 candidates in Iraq's election, throwing into doubt the slim lead of a Sunni-backed alliance and setting the stage for a possible spike in sectarian violence.

Electoral officials and politicians said Monday's decision may not alter the final outcome of the election, but a more significant ruling was expected on Tuesday, when the panel considers the fate of six to nine winning candidates.

The developments could raise tensions at a vulnerable time, with Iraq adrift in a political vacuum almost two months after the inconclusive March 7 vote, and U.S. troops preparing to end combat operations in August ahead of a full withdrawal by 2011.



Former prime minister Iyad Allawi, whose cross-sectarian Iraqiya alliance won a slim lead with strong support from the Sunni minority, said his coalition would fight the ruling while some of his allies said they might seek a new election.

"We have instructed lawyers to appeal against the panel's decision," Allawi said in Ankara. "We are very concerned about certain groups controlling the political process in Iraq."

Allawi and other Iraqiya leaders demanded U.N. intervention.

"We will not accept this election and its results if it continues like that. We will call for a new election ... under direct international observation and the U.N. will carry out this election," senior Iraqiya member Osama al-Nujaifi said.

Iraqiya won 91 seats, just two ahead of Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's State of Law coalition, which would gain the most from any upheaval in the final result.

At least one of those barred on Monday for alleged ties to Saddam Hussein's banned Baath party was a winner for Iraqiya.

Allawi's allies said they did not see the election result changing because the number of votes invalidated was small. They said any winning candidates affected would be replaced by the next Iraqiya nominee in line in the same constituency.

But any reduction in Iraqiya's representation could reignite Sunni anger, just as the sectarian violence unleashed after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion recedes.

U.S. Ambassador Chris Hill said he was concerned about the time it was taking Iraqi politicians to certify the election results and begin negotiations to form a coalition government.

"This is a country that has an economy that's barely getting itself off the ground ... So this is a country that clearly needs to move ahead," Hill said.

"SHOW ON THE ROAD"

"We are concerned that the process is lagging and that we have not gotten onto the government formation as yet. It seems to me that it's time to get this show on the road here."

Hill said that he believed two or more of Iraqiya's candidates could be affected by Monday's decision.

Saad al-Rawi, one of nine commissioners at the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), of which the review panel is a part, said one winning candidate was affected.

"I don't think this would affect the number of seats for the (Iraqiya) bloc," Rawi said. "Iraqiya got millions of votes, 5,000 or 10,000 votes (less) would not affect it."

The invalidation of votes comes before the expected start next week of a recount in Baghdad, which could also change the result and enrage Sunnis who saw Iraqiya's success as a vindication of their claim to greater political clout.

Sunnis' resentment at their fall from power after the ousting of Sunni dictator Saddam in 2003 helped fuel the bloody sectarian war and a fierce Sunni Islamist-led insurgency.

Iraqis had hoped the election would help the war-damaged country cement improved security and stability.

Instead, the lack of a clear result has spawned protracted political uncertainty as the Shi'ite-led, Sunni-backed and Kurdish factions try to negotiate tie-ups that would allow them to gain a working majority and pick the next government.

"This decision (of the review panel) builds a wall between the political parties when they should be getting closer to forming a government quickly," said Khamis al-Badri, a professor of political science at Baghdad University.

The impasse has also occurred as international oil firms are starting to invest in Iraq's vast oilfields, launching the country on a path that could more than quadruple its oil output capacity to Saudi levels of 12 million barrels per day.

IHEC commissioner Hamdiya al-Husseini said Monday's ruling was not final as the affected candidates had a month to appeal.

Detained opposition leader in Sri Lanka parliament -Defeated Sri Lankan presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka has been released -Jayaratne -- the simple rural touch to Sri Lankan premiership-Sri Lankan new PM Sworn in

New Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Jayaratne (L) hugs with former P.M. Rathnasiri Wikramanayake in Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka, April 21, 2010. Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Jayaratne was sworn in here as the 20th prime minister of Sri Lanka Wednesday evening




The general strongly denies corruption allegations


Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse (L) administers the oath of office to new Sri Lankan Prime Minister Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Jayaratne (R) in Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka, April 21, 2010. Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Jayaratne was sworn in here as the 20th prime minister of Sri Lanka Wednesday evening

Defeated Sri Lankan presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka has been released from detention to appear in the opening session of parliament.

The general, who is being court martialled, called for the "rule of law" in an attack on his arch-rival, President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

His comments were his first remarks in public since his detention on 8 February on corruption charges.

He travelled under escort from military custody to take up his seat.

Gen Fonseka fell out with the president after the defeat of Tamil Tigers rebels last May.

He was beaten by Mr Rajapaksa in presidential elections of January 2010.



Soundly beaten

"What the country needs is democracy, rule of law, personal freedoms and media freedom," Gen Fonseka told parliament.

His leftist Democratic National Alliance (DNA) party won seven seats in the elections of 8 April.

The assembly is dominated by the United People's Freedom Alliance led by the president.

Mr Rajapaksa's coalition is just short of the two-thirds majority required for the government to rewrite the constitution, which debars the president from standing again when his second term ends in 2016.

Gen Fonseka - who won his parliamentary seat while in detention - has been allowed to attend the opening but will be returned to detention afterwards, government officials said.

His court martial, on charges of allegedly engaging in politics while in uniform and involvement in corrupt arms procurement, was adjourned on Tuesday for two weeks.

The general denies all the accusations, saying they are a politically motivated attempt to silence him.

The main opposition United National Party was soundly beaten in the parliamentary elections, winning just 60 seats, while the main Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance, came third with 14.

On Wednesday, President Rajapaksa appointed DM Jayaratne, a former teacher in his 70s, as prime minister.

Mr Rajapaksa is working out who will be in his new cabinet.

Senior Sri Lankan politician Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Jayaratne was sworn in here as the 20th prime minister Wednesday evening before President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Known also as Dimu, Jayaratne is a veteran in Sri Lankan politics.

A man from Gampola in the rural heartland in Central Province, the 79 year-old is a favourite among the majority Sinhala community rural folk.

Being the oldest person ever to win the island's premiership, the long wait has been rewarding for the ever smiling and unassuming grassroots politician.

The premiership was just reward for his sticking with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) through and through -- its best and the worst times.

He became a member of the SLFP on its founding day of Sept. 2, 1951. So no living rivals to his seniority in the party.

He stood with the party during its difficult days in the opposition between 1977 and 1994.

Internal squabbling among party factions saw most of its seniors leaving the party to either form other parties or to join the rival United National Party (UNP).

Jayaratne never left the party and carried its flag almost single handedly in Central Province.

His first entry to parliament was in May 1970 in the SLFP's landslide win.

Jayaratne was a government backbencher until 1977 when the SLFP was crushed in the rival UNP's landslide electoral win.

In 1993 Jayaratne having elected to parliament as an opposition frontliner in the election held in 1989, was made the general secretary of the broader opposition front -- People's Alliance (PA) .

The PA won the election in 1994 by ending the UNP's 17 year rule.

He was rewarded with the cabinet position of Agriculture and Lands.

Subsequently he held senior cabinet positions of Food, Posts and Telecommunications.

The father of two daughters and a son, Jayaratne is known for his Sinhala oratory.

His parliamentary speeches feature witty banter and off-the- cuff remarks which take his opponents off-guard.

A simple rural politician, Jayaratne champions the cause of the downtrodden masses.

Thailand's unrest spreads as army train blocked-Thai crisis spreads as military vehicles blocked

Anti-government demonstrators construct makeshift barricades Wednesday, April 21, 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand, protesting about the government. According to his official spokesman, Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is ready to negotiate with protesters who are seeking a change of government, but only when the demonstrators who have illegally occupied city streets agree to abide by the country's law.


Anti-government protesters and supporters of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, look out from their makeshift barricades Wednesday, April 21, 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand, protesting about the government. According to his official spokesman, Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is ready to negotiate with protesters who are seeking a change of government, but only when the demonstrators who have illegally occupied city streets agree to abide by the country's law.

Thailand's tense political crisis spread from Bangkok to the northeast, as anti-government demonstrators blocked a train carrying military vehicles that they claimed would be used to suppress fellow protesters in the capital.

The confrontation Wednesday came as the "Red Shirt" protesters and security forces remained locked in a potentially explosive standoff in downtown Bangkok. The determined demonstrators are demanding Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva dissolve Parliament and call new elections immediately.

A failed April 10 attempt by security forces to flush protesters from their first encampment in the capital erupted into the worst political violence Thailand has seen in 18 years, with 25 people dead and more than 800 wounded.


'Red Shirt' anti-government protesters block a military train during a protest at a train station near Khon Kaen


A pro-government supporter takes cover behind a police truck on Wednesday April 21, 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand. Several hundred pro-government protesters have gathered across from the Red Shirts; shouting and jeering and occasionally attacking people they think may be sympathetic to the anti-government groups. Police are stationed loosely between the two sides; neither of which seem inclined to have a direct full-on fight; though late Wednesday night the government supporters started throwing rocks and bottles.


Pro-government supporters shout at anti-government protesters shout at anti-government protesters Wednesday April 21, 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand. Several hundred pro-government protesters have gathered across from the Red Shirts; shouting and jeering and occasionally attacking people they think may be sympathetic to the anti-government groups. Police are stationed loosely between the two sides; neither of which seem inclined to have a direct full-on fight; though late Wednesday night the government supporters started throwing rocks and bottles




An pro-government protester throws stone to the anti-government protesters encampment late Wednesday, April 21, 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand. Several hundred pro-government protesters have gathered across from the Red Shirts; shouting and jeering and occasionally attacking people they think may be sympathetic to the anti-government groups. Police are stationed loosely between the two sides; neither of which seem inclined to have a direct full-on fight; though late Wednesday night the government supporters started throwing rocks and bottles.


Pro-government supporters shout at anti-government protesters and hold up a sign which says " Be United and Fight Against The Red Shirts", Wednesday April 21, 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand. Several hundred pro-government protesters gathered shouting and jeering and occasionally attacking people they thought may be sympathetic to the anti-government groups. Police were stationed loosely between the two sides, neither of which seem inclined to have a direct full-on fight.


A pro-government protester fires a slingshot towards anti-government protesters on Wednesday April 21, 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand. Several hundred pro-government protesters have gathered across from the Red Shirts; shouting and jeering and occasionally attacking people they think may be sympathetic to the anti-government groups. Police are stationed loosely between the two sides; neither of which seem inclined to have a direct full-on fight; though late Wednesday night the government supporters started throwing rocks and bottles.



The protesters consist mainly of poor rural supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and pro-democracy activists who opposed the military coup that ousted him in 2006.

The Red Shirts believe Abhisit's government is illegitimate because it came to power under military pressure through a parliamentary vote after disputed court rulings ousted two elected pro-Thaksin governments.

Speculation is rife the government is set to forcibly remove the Red Shirts from the blocks of central Bangkok they've occupied for weeks. Soldiers in full combat gear have been stationed in the business district's main street to block the protesters from entering it.

Early Thursday, helicopters were seen flying high above the protest site, but their purpose was not clear. Protesters shot fireworks at them.

Adding to the tension, several hundred pro-government protesters gathered late Wednesday across from the Red Shirts, shouting, jeering and throwing rocks and bottles at them, AP Television footage showed.

Anti-Red Shirt demonstrators with flags and placards reading, "Give back our city," and "Yes to democracy! No to red terror," squared off just yards (meters) apart from their rivals as security forces watched. Several people suffered minor injuries and at least one was detained by police.

The Red Shirts fortified their encampment Wednesday with tire barricades and homemade weapons including bamboo spears and wooden shields, while soldiers and riot police stood warily nearby.

In the province of Khon Kaen, 241 miles (388 kilometers) northeast of Bangkok, some 400 to 500 Red Shirts blocked a train carrying military vehicles, said police Lt. Col. Thanarat Meethonglang.

No violence was reported. Provincial officials were negotiating with the protesters to allow the train to pass.

The Thai Rath newspaper website cited a protest leader saying the Red Shirts intercepted the train after learning its cargo would be used to suppress the demonstrations in Bangkok — an assertion denied by authorities.

Prospects for a peaceful solution to the political crisis appear slim. Negotiations were apparently taking place, however.

"The attempt to negotiate has been ongoing, but the official talks can't proceed as long as the demonstration remains unlawful," said government spokesman Panitan Wattanyagorn.

"The situation has changed now that violence has occurred and terrorism has been involved," he said, referring to the April 10 clash, in which masked gunmen returned soldiers' fire with assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades.

Key protest leader Nattawut Saikua earlier indicated the demonstrators were open to negotiations to end the confrontations and chaos in the city, which is damaging the economy, as well as trying residents' patience.

"Our group is always open to outside suggestions. Whatever group wants to propose a solution to the crisis, we're happy to hear these solutions," Nattawut said. But the protest leaders have sent mixed signals, with some saying talks are not wanted.

Hotels and retailers in the protest zone, which spans about 1.8 square miles (3 square kilometers) say the rallies have cost tens of millions of dollars in losses. Several five-star hotels closed for the week and relocated guests to safer hotels.

Upscale shopping malls in the middle of the protest have been shut for weeks.

Thailand's political crisis has spread to the rural northeast, where protesters have blockaded a military train and forced busloads of troops to return to their bases, officials said Thursday.

Hundreds of anti-government campaigners are locked in a standoff with the military after Tuesday halting a train carrying armed soldiers and heavy equipment in the northern capital of Khon Kaen.

Also in Khon Kaen overnight, hundreds of red-shirted protesters stopped three military buses with troops aboard and forced them to return to their base.

"The incident ended (after) 150 of the troops aboard three held-up buses agreed to return to their base in Udon Thani," said Khon Kaen provincial police commander Major General Pattanee Siriwattanee.

"But at the train station I am attending a third round of talks today. It's rather difficult because Red Shirt leaders have to comply with orders from their leaders from Bangkok."

The red-shirted protesters, part of a movement which has staged rolling demonstrations in the capital since mid-March, said they feared the troops and equipment were part of a looming crackdown on their Bangkok rallying base.

Street clashes in Bangkok earlier this month left 25 people dead.

Authorities said the troops and the 18-carriage train, which has been separated from its engine, was actually destined for the Muslim-majority southern provinces where a separatist insurgency is raging.

On Thursday the train was patrolled by armed soldiers, as hundreds of Red Shirts milled around. Protest leaders in Bangkok urged other supporters in the area to reinforce them.

"At this moment there are 300 of them but the number can increase dramatically when they start to arrive later from nearby provinces," Pattanee said.

The Reds have rolled large concrete cylinders onto the track to stop it being moved, and said they will hold the train for five days until after the expected crackdown.

The protest movement, which draws much of their support from the rural poor, is largely loyal to former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and is living in exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption.

The Reds say the current government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is undemocratic because it came to power in a parliamentary vote after a court ruling removed Thaksin's allies from office.