Thousands of protesters stormed the compound of Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, a TV station and several ministeries today in a coordinated bid to unseat his elected seven-month-old coalition government.
Mr Samak urged the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to pack up and go home, saying his patience was running out after three months of hitherto peaceful demonstrations in central Bangkok.
His interior minister would take direct control of the police to restore order, Samak told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting that was moved to a military compound in northern Bangkok because of protesters blockading his Government House offices.
"There is no way that a country of 63 million, like Thailand, will let a group of five people form a street gang to seize control," MrSamak said of the PAD, which accuses him of being an illegitimate proxy of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
"I won't yield. My cabinet won't yield. The military and the police won't yield," he said.
He made no mention of any need to impose emergency rule, although a police spokesman later said the protesters had until 6pm to leave or face unspecified "action".
PAD leader Sonthi Limthongkul addressed several thousand supporters from the Government House lawn, saying he would not leave until the government fell.
"I won't leave until there is a political change. If you want me to leave, you will have to kill me and take my body out of here," he said to thunderous applause from demonstrators waving Thai flags and yellow banners representing the monarchy.
Earlier, journalists at state broadcaster NBT abandoned their studio after thousands of PAD protesters stormed the building.
The PAD also occupied parts of the ministries of finance, agriculture and transport, as well as briefly the Bangkok police headquarters, triggering rumours about a military coup to restore order less than two years after the army removed Mr Thaksin.
Reuters