Protesters throw blood at prime minister’s house

DWINDLING hordes of protesters fanned across Bangkok yesterday, hurling blood at the prime minister’s residence and crowding outside Western embassies in a long-odds bid to force snap elections.

The government has stood firm against demands for its resignation pressed by the so-called Red Shirts, loyal to fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who have been based at a rally ground in the Thai capital since the weekend.

Police said 38,000 protesters remained on yesterday evening at the site in the city’s government quarter, down from more than 100,000 at Sunday’s peak, as many returned to their homes in the kingdom’s rural provinces.