After nearly a month of protests by Thailand's Red Shirt anti-government movement, the situation in Bangkok has escalated in the last week. Though most of the past month's protests have been peaceful, earlier this week, Red Shirt protesters briefly stormed and held the parliament building. In response, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, giving broader powers to security forces to quell the protests. When the government shut down an opposition TV channel, protesters today seized control of a transmission station in the first violent clash of the recent conflict. The Red Shirts are calling for new elections, and are largely supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in September 2006. (34 photos total)
Anti-government demonstrators, in red, walk near a police line Tuesday, April 6, 2010, in downtown Bangkok, Thailand. Anti-government demonstrators briefly engaged in a pushing match with police, pelting them with eggs and water bottles before backing off. Protest leaders have defied a government order to vacate the commercial heart of Bangkok as they try to pressure Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to relinquish power. (AP Photo/Wason Waintchakorn)
