Red-clad supporters of deposed Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra vowed yesterday to march on military barracks holding the government as they stepped up protests in Bangkok.
Organisers of the "Red Shirts" said more than 100,000 people, mostly from the poor rural north, had converged near the capital's government offices in their trademark tops, demanding Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva dissolve parliament.
The turnout was far lower than the "million man march" the Reds had predicted, but more than an official estimate of fewer than 80,000 at the rally grounds in the politically divided kingdom.
The Red Shirts issued an ultimatum to the government, which it accuses of elitism and double standards, saying it must step down and call fresh elections within 24 hours or face mounting protests.
Authorities invoked a strict security law to oversee the rallies.