TENS of thousands of supporters of ousted Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra surrounded the government's headquarters yesterday, calling on the prime minister to resign.
Around 30,000 Thaksin loyalists, dressed in red shirts, were estimated to have attended a boisterous rally.
The fresh wave of political unrest, which has plagued Thailand for most of the past year, came as the government of Abhisit Vejjajiva gra
ppled with the country's worsening economic crisis.
The protest flared shortly after the government began doling out 2,000 baht (£38) cheques to millions of poor Thais in a bid to kickstart an export-dependent economy battered as global markets stutter.
While recipients rushed to spend the cash in department stores or deposit it in savings banks, the protesters derided the handouts as a poor imitation of Mr Thaksin's populist policies.
"Is (Mr Abhisit] trying to buy us off?" said Nattawut Sai-kua, one of the protest leaders. "It is not going to work. We will protest until this illegitimate government is gone."
Yesterday, the demonstrators vowed to remain for at least two more days around Government House, in Bangkok, which includes the prime minister's offices. They say Mr Abhisit's government came to power through illegal means, and are demanding a dissolution of parliament and fresh elections.
As dusk fell, the crowd swelled to more than 30,000, according to Chavarat Chanweerakul, the interior minister. About 10,000 police and soldiers were deployed to quell any violence. However, despite the protesters managing to push through a police cordon, analysts were confident the protests would continue peacefully.
Mr Abhisit has also said the government does not expect the protest to turn violent. "We will use utmost patience," he said.
Demonstrators sang folk songs and danced as they convened outside the offices. Police had placed sand-filled cargo containers across one street to block access. But the protesters used two cranes to pick up the containers and drop them into a nearby canal – to the cheers of fellow protesters.
"We want this illegitimate government out. The longer they stay, the more damage will be done to Thai democracy," said another protest spokesman, Jatuporn Phromphan, from a makeshift stage.
The "red-shirts," as they are commonly known, say Mr Abhisit rose to power through illegal means, after courts, backed by the powerful military, removed two previous pro-Thaksin administrations last year. Mr Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption and abuse of power. The court action ended one of Thailand's worst political crises: months of sit-in protests at Bangkok's main airports by Mr Thaksin's opponents.
The so-called "help-the-nation" dole-out, which totals 18 billion baht (£351 million), is targeted at more than nine million people in Thailand who earn less than 15,000 baht (£293) a month. The programme is expected to increase economic growth by 0.2 percentage points.
"We need to get money quickly into the system, and this is the quickest way," Mr Abhisit said.
Although the one-time measure has been welcomed by many, some have criticised it for helping only about a third of the country's labour force; farmers and self-employed people are ineligible for the scheme.
