Pro Thaksin or Pro Abhisit?

Oops they did it again... The red is on the move. This time, their target, Abhisit Vejjajiva. Why all the political unrest? 长言道，只有得民心者得天下；没有反腐败者亡天下. Thaksin really did alot for the poor. Although a State of Emergency had been declared, Bangkok is still a safe place to visit. Just that you need to avoid some area & some colours like black, blue, yellow or red. So far, I think the safest is White.

Thailand's prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, rejected calls for his resignation as tens of thousands of protesters marched into Bangkok, posing the biggest challenge to his government amid fears of violence. Dressed in red, the massive crowd marched through Bangkok's historic northern district, overtaking main boulevards and waving pictures of their leader-in-exile, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 coup after six years as prime minister.

The protesters say Abhisit, who was appointed by parliament in December, took power illegitimately and should step aside so parliament can be dissolved ahead of fresh elections. Protesters headed to the home of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's top adviser, Prem Tinsulanonda, whom they accuse of masterminding the coup. They are also demanding Prem's resignation and have accused the military, judiciary and Prem's inner circle of interfering in politics.

More than 4,000 police were deployed in the area, where the all-day protest was planned, with the army on standby and authorities urging the general public to avoid the area. Prem's house was guarded by riot police. At least 80,000 people are expected to gather and the Police did not have an early crowd count, but saying there were tens of thousands after the march started.

Prem has denied the accusations that he orchestrated the coup, but the rare public criticism of a king's privy counsellor broke a taboo in Thailand, where members of the monarchy and their aides are highly revered. Prem had been indirectly accused of orchestrating the coup before; the last rally outside his home in July 2007 turned into a riot in which more than 200 people were injured.

Thaksin, who was ousted amid accusations of corruption and abuse of power, has been addressing the protests via video link from exile. He fled the country last year before a court convicted him of abuse of power and sentenced him to two years in prison.

Most of Thaksin's supporters are from the country's poor rural majority, who benefited from his populist policies. They are known as "the red shirts," for their favoured attire. The protests are the latest episode in Thailand's long-running political turmoil, a tug-of-war between Thaksin's supporters and opponents.

Last year was dominated by protests from Thaksin's opponents, who wore yellow shirts. They occupied the Government House for three months and shutdown Bangkok's two airports for a week. Their protests ended in December after courts removed two pro-Thaksin prime ministers from office, paving the way for Abhisit to take power in parliament in December.