Thai protesters vow to keep pushing PM

Thai protesters who doused the prime minister's office and home in donated blood say they will keep pressuring the embattled leader to hold new elections, even as the number of demonstrators dwindles.

Riot police first blocked all approaches to Abhisit's walled compound Wednesday, but they eventually allowed about three dozen protesters to squeeze through a police cordon and toss the sacks of blood at the prime minister's home.

A heavy afternoon downpour ended as the blood-spilling finished, leaving dark red puddles in the street outside the upscale compound.

Thedemonstrators oppose the current government andare demanding that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva call a new election. The prime minister has dismissed calls to dissolve Parliament, but the protestleadersvowed to keep camping out inBangkok until their demands are met.

Wednesday's protest came after similar "blood sacrifices" Tuesday at Abhisit's office and the headquarters of his Democrat Party.

The so-called Red Shirts include supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and other activists who oppose the 2006 military coup that ousted him for alleged corruption and abuse of power.

The demonstratorsbelieve Abhisit came to power illegitimately with the help of the military and other parts of the traditional ruling class who were alarmed by Thaksin's popularity.

More than 100,000 demonstrators converged on the capital Sunday, but the crowd shrank Wednesday to about 40,000, according to Maj. Gen. Vichai Sangparpai, a commander in the metropolitan police.

Agroup of protesters travelled to the U.S. Embassy after the demonstration at the prime minister's compound, saying they wanted to tell the international community the Thai government is illegitimate.

Protests scaled down

After a strategy meeting, the Red Shirt leaders said they willkeep protesting the government but on a smaller scale. They are encamped in an old part of Bangkok that is a traditional venue for political protests.

"We'll maintain our stronghold, but there will be rotation of manpower," said one of the protest leaders, Veera Musikapong. "When the time is right, we will call for a 'million-man march' again."

The group also reaffirmed its commitment to nonviolence and announced it is breaking ties with allies who had made high-profile threats of attacks if faced with government repression.

Surat Horachaikul, a political scientist at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, said he believed that theprotest organizers lacked plans for their next step and that the protests might end in a few days.

"If nothing comes out of this rally, the government is likely going to become more stable," he said.

Thailand has faced political turmoil since early 2006, when anti-Thaksin demonstrations began. In 2008, when Thaksin's political allies came back to power for a year, his opponents occupied the prime minister's office compound for three months and seized Bangkok's two airports for a week.

Many Bangkok residents, even those sympathetic to the Red Shirt cause, said they are tired of the turmoil that has plagued Thai politics for years.

"I want the protest to stop as soon as possible," said Suwan Pana-ngham, a downtown food vendor. "My business would be better, I hope."