Thousands of anti-government protesters rally in Bangkok

BANGKOK: About 30,000 red-shirt supporters of the United front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) on Sunday protested against Thailand's judicial system in front of the criminal court in the country's capital, the Bangkok Post reported.

The red shirts called for justice for their detained leaders and colleagues who are being held in Bangkok Remand prison. The red-shirts TV station reported that participants read out letters that pointed out to double standards the detained leaders are now facing.

"Core leaders of the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) were released on bails, but the detained UDD leaders were denied bails, even if they also faced the same terrorism charges", the UDD leaders were quoted as saying in their letters by the red-shirts TV station.

Two PAD's members were granted bail after being charged with terrorism offenses in connection with the yellow shirts' seizure of Bangkok's two commercial airports during their anti-government rally in 2008.

The rival yellow shirts also rallied, demanding Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to resign over his handling of the border dispute with Cambodia.

Police avoided potential clashes between rival protesters by steering the red shirt march clear of the yellow shirt rally site. Traffic police blocked the red shirts from entering roads leading to the protest sites of the PAD.

The protests come ahead of an election that could take place in the first half of the year.

The UDD held a 69-day demonstration last year in an effort to topple the government of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. Protesters clashed with police, leaving 92 dead, including 11 soldiers and police and two foreign journalists.

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