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Thai protest continues as foreign minister quits

03/09/2008

Thousands of anti-government protestors are continuing to occupy the grounds outside Thai prime minister Samak Sundaravej's office, despite a state of emergency being declared banning the demonstrations.

Mr Sundarave declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after police clashed with pro and anti-government demonstrators.

The military was given charge of restoring order but they have yet to move to disperse the crowd.

At least one person was killed yesterday at the culmination of a week long protest led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).

The demonstrators are calling for Mr Sundarave to resign and allege his government is acting as a front for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Tej Bunnag, Thailand's foreign minister, resigned on Wednesday with no official reason given but Mr Sundarave continues to refuse to stand down.

A public sector strike planned for today began slowly with most services reportedly unaffected.