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Updated Monday, November 24, 2008 3:38 pm TWN, By AMBIKA AHUJA, AP



	Thousands of anti-government protesters march to the Parliament in Bangkok on Monday Nov. 24, 2008 as riot police barricaded the building Monday to prevent violence at a rally that demonstrators billed as their final bid to oust the administration. (AP) Enlarge Photo

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Thai lawmakers postpone session amid protests

"This is the final showdown," protest leader Somsak Kosaisuk said in one of the speeches, adding that "they have robbed the country to the point where we can't take it anymore. I promise you this will soon end."

The demonstrators initially called Monday's protest to block Parliament from debating a bill to rewrite the constitution - a measure they said would help Thaksin stage a comeback.

Both protesters and police were braced for a confrontation, with protesters flanked by their own guards armed with poles, clubs and metal rods.

"I'm very scared. But it is time that we win this," said a protester, Wimon Sricarak. "We have been attacked, our friends have died, and all because they want to protect Thaksin."

Riot police armed with shields and batons were under orders to use "as little force as possible" and to try to avoid tear gas, said Bangkok police chief Lt. Gen. Suchart Maunkaew. He said police were not carrying guns.

The last time the group marched on Parliament, police efforts to disperse them resulted in running street battles. Two people were killed and hundreds injured in the Oct. 7 violence.

The fracas also disturbed animals at the Dusit Zoo across the road, and zookeepers said they were closely monitoring Monday's protest to ensure the animals' safety.

"We are worried most about elephants, kangaroos and wallabies because they are adjacent to the street where the rally is taking place," said Sompol Damnui, a top official at the zoo. He said they were prepared to relocate the animals to another part of the zoo or to a different park outside Bangkok.

The Education Ministry ordered four public schools in the area closed.

The alliance has accused police of being behind an attack last week in which grenades killed two protesters during demonstrations at and near the occupied Government House. Authorities have denied the charge.

The alliance's supporters are largely middle-class citizens, who say Thailand's electoral system is susceptible to vote-buying and argues the rural majority - the Thaksin camp's power base - is not sophisticated enough to cast ballots responsibly.

They propose replacing an elected Parliament with one that is mostly appointed, a move critics charge is meant to keep power in the hands of the educated, urban elite.

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