New Protesters Greet Thailand's New Gov't

A different set of anti-government protesters converged on Bankok today, with thousands of red-shirted supporters of exiled PM Thaksin Shinawatra surrounding parliament and forcing lawmakers to postpone their session. The yellow-clad Thaksin opposition had been set to take power after months of demonstrations, reports the New York Times.

Abhisit Vejjajiva became Thailand's new PM on Dec. 17 after a court ruling banned his predecessor and dismantled a Thaksin-linked party. That enraged the exiled leader's supporters, who have formed a group calling itself the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship and are calling for a fresh election. An ally of Thaksin won the 2006 election that ended the last period of military rule, and his supporters insist they would win again in a new poll.
(More Thailand stories.)