Thai protesters hurl own blood at PM's house

Several thousand later gathered in front of the U.S. Embassy, saying they wanted to tell the international community that their government was illegitimate. A protest leader, Jatuporn Prompan, went into the embassy compound, where he said he talked with U.S. diplomats.

Riot police first blocked all approaches to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's walled compound. But after negotiations, three dozen demonstrators were allowed to squeeze through the police cordon carrying about six 1.3-gallon (5-liter) plastic jugs filled with frothy blood over their heads.

They splattered blood across Abhisit's front gate and poured some of it into plastic bags that they hurled at the home, leaving the walls, roof and grounds smeared with red.

A heavy afternoon downpour ended as the blood spilling finished, leaving dark red puddles in the street that a white-suited medical cleanup team quickly hosed away. Some climbed on the prime minister's tile roof to remove the empty, blood-soaked bags.

The incident in the Sukhumvit Road area, home to many wealthy Thais and expatriates, followed similar "blood sacrifices" Tuesday at Abhisit's office and the headquarters of his Democrat Party. The dramatic acts grabbed attention, but put the "Red Shirt" protest movement no closer to its goal of forcing new elections.

The protesters' march to Abhisit's house and police cordons, thrown up after the government invoked an emergency decree, halted traffic in one direction on Sukhumvit Road, a major thoroughfare, paralyzing parts of the neighborhood. Restaurants closed their doors and residents of luxury condos were prevented from driving out of the area.

"We heard they were coming so I stayed in. Sure enough we're blocked in now," said John Bujnosh, 59, a Texas oil driller who lives on the same street as Abhisit.

Many residents watched from their balconies or wandered into the street to take pictures. Most anti-government protests in the past have been confined to Bangkok's government district several miles (kilometers) away.

Despite some tension, the protest was festive. Thai country music blared from speakers on the protesters' pickup trucks and the red-shirted demonstrators waved and smiled to residents — as did riot police.

"A group of police stopped us," said Swedish tourist Elouise Johansson. "I thought, oh no, I don't have my passport with me. But they just wanted to take pictures with us." She displayed pictures of herself holding a riot shield beside smiling helmeted officers.

Abhisit himself has been sleeping at an army headquarters and taking trips out of the city since preliminary protests began Friday.

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