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An image of the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is carried on the t-shirt of a Red Shirt member donating blood at a protest site in Bangkok yesterdayBy Andrew Buncombe, Asia Correspondent
The Independent
Why are we asking this now?
In recent days, the streets of Bangkok have been swamped by tens of thousands of boisterous red-shirted protesters who say they are marching to save Thailand's democracy. As the so-called Red Shirts have filled the streets of the Thai capital they have been noisy but overwhelmingly peaceful. They have now started collecting blood – asking for 20 teaspoons from each demonstrator – and splashing it on the floor outside the Prime Minister's office. Health officials argue such a large amount of donated blood could be put to good use medically.
Who are the Red Shirts and what do they want?
They are overwhelmingly supporters of the ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was forced from office by a military coup in 2006. Calling themselves the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), they had hoped to bring a million people to Bangkok to put pressure on the Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, forcing him to dissolve parliament and hold fresh elections. They argue that the Eton-educated Mr Abhisit was appointed as the result of a vote by parliament in 2008 and that he therefore lacks a popular mandate. Some have gone as far as to say he is the face of a military government in disguise.
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