By MICHAEL CASEY, Associated Press Aug 26, 2008

BANGKOK, Thailand - Thousands of anti-government demonstrators pushed into the Thai prime minister's office compound on Tuesday and tens of thousands rallied outside in the latest protest aimed at deposing a prime minister they accuse of close ties to his disgraced predecessor.

The People's Alliance for Democracy, which is aligned with conservative factions of the monarchy and the military, said the protests and the seizure of a state-run television station by a masked faction of the crowd were a "final showdown" in its efforts to oust the government.

Hours later, about 500 riot police forced their way into the compound and clashed briefly with the protesters, witnesses said.

The fighting around 3 a.m. Wednesday ceased a few minutes as the police established themselves inside the compound. They made no immediate effort to force the protesters out, and appeared to be holding talks with their leaders, though details were unavailable.

The group has been protesting sporadically across the capital, Bangkok, since May to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. They contend he is a proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and is living in self-imposed exile in England.

Protesters on Tuesday scaled fences and helped push each other over to gain entry to Samak's compound, called Government House, and they encamped in a huge garden outside the prime minister's office. The protesters remained peaceful and did not try to enter any government buildings.

Up to 30,000 protested outside four government ministries and Government House, deputy police spokesman Maj. Gen. Surapol Tuanthong said.

Some carried placards that said: "The Evil Government, Get out Now." It had a photo of Samak with a red 'X' through it. Police monitored the rallies but did not intervene. It appeared the protesters planned to remain in the prime minister's compound indefinitely.

"The people's army is victorious over the government," protest leader Sondhi Limthongkul told protesters from a stage assembled inside the Government House compound. "We are now in Government House and won't move until the government resigns."

Most of the protesters wore yellow shirts, which were promoted in 2006 as a way of showing loyalty to King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the 50th anniversary of his enthronement.

Gen. Anupong Paochinda, the army chief, reassured the public Tuesday that the military was not planning another coup, saying the latest crisis can be solved politically.

Thailand has had 17 constitutions since 1932 — a reflection of the political instability and military coups that followed the drafting of the first charter that created a constitutional monarchy. The last coup was in 2006, when Thaksin was ousted.

After keeping silent for most of the day, Samak said the government would not use force to eject the protesters, but was preparing legal action against them. He said he had no intention of resigning.

Samak said authorities would surround the protesters encamped at his office, letting people leave but not allowing any new protesters to enter.

"They need food. It's not torture but they must come out," he said at a news conference with foreign journalists.

Still, thousands were encamped Tuesday night, when a relaxed, even festive, atmosphere prevailed. Many enjoyed picnic dinners with their families outside the building that houses the prime minister's offices.

The prime minister accused the protest alliance of trying to provoke bloodshed that would spark a coup to oust his government. But he refused to declare a state of emergency.

The day began with a violent, pre-dawn raid by about 80 masked alliance members on the main studios of the government-run National Broadcasting Services of Thailand, known as NBT. The protesters claim the station is a government mouthpiece.

NBT footage of the incursion showed the attackers, armed with clubs and iron rods, herding staff out of the building and smashing property.

The invaders prevented the station from broadcasting for about an hour, after which police officers arrested them. Samak said police were holding them pending charges.

Local television news footage later showed police displaying knives and at least one gun that they said the attackers brandished.

A crowd of protesters later took over the TV station for a second time, pushing down a gate and rushing past police to occupy the offices. The station was again forced off the air, but resumed broadcasting within an hour from another location.

No one was arrested in the second raid, and the protesters withdrew from the building in the evening, saying they would regroup at Government House.

The Thai Journalists Association protested the station's seizure, describing it as a threat to press freedom and freedom of expression.

Samak moved Tuesday's weekly Cabinet meeting from Government House to the military's headquarters elsewhere in Bangkok to avoid the protesters, deputy government spokesman Natawut Saikau said.

The state Thai News Agency, citing local police, reported that provincial branches of the alliance had blocked roads leading to the capital from the south, north and northeast. Police attempted to divert traffic and were not reported to have made any arrests.

Thaksin and his wife skipped bail earlier this month with a string of corruption charges pending against them. The former leader has said he will never get a fair trial in his homeland.

Before Thaksin's ouster, the People's Alliance for Democracy led months of demonstrations alleging he was corrupt and had abused his power.

The alliance has accused Samak of trying to amend the constitution to help Thaksin avoid conviction on the corruption charges. They also accuse Samak's government of failing to aggressively prosecute cases against Thaksin and refusing calls to extradite him from Britain to face justice.

It has also proposed replacing Thailand's electoral democracy with a system that would be dominated by appointees from the bureaucracy and the military, on the grounds that the rural majority is not sophisticated enough to choose good public servants.