Thai Protesters Storm Army Headquarters

By Krishnadev Calamur

Published November 29, 2013 at 7:27 AM CST

An anti-government protester waves a national flag after breaking into the compound of the Royal Thai Army headquarters in Bangkok on Friday.

Protesters in Thailand stormed the grounds of the army headquarters Friday in Bangkok, seeking the military's help in toppling Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. But in an interview with the BBC, the embattled Thai leader ruled out early elections to mollify the demonstrators.

The Associated Press reports that around 1,200 demonstrators "broke the padlocked gate at the Royal Thai Army compound and forced their way inside, saying they wanted to submit a letter to the army chief."

Protesters have occupied the Finance Ministry since Monday. At various other times, they have occupied the Foreign Ministry and the Department of Special Investigations, the country's equivalent of the FBI. Crowds have dwindled since the protests began, but organizers have called for bigger rallies this weekend.

Yingluck has ruled out using force against the protesters, and security forces have done little to stop the demonstrations that began last Sunday.

"I love this country. I devote myself to this country," she told the BBC. "I need only one thing for the country: We need to protect democracy."

As NPR's Doreen McCallister noted Thursday, Yingluck survived a no-confidence vote in Parliament.

We've been reporting on this story since the protests began Sunday. Here's the background to the protests:

"Protesters say Yingluck's government is controlled by her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006. The billionaire former telecommunications tycoon was convicted of corruption in 2008 and lives in self-imposed exile.

"Thaksin He remains a hugely polarizing figure in Thai politics. His supporters and opponents have battled since his ouster, and past clashes have been bloody. In 2010, his supporters occupied parts of Bangkok; 90 people were killed in the government crackdown that followed."

The protests pit the Thai elite against Thaksin's power base in the countryside. This round of demonstrations began after a controversial amnesty bill that critics say would have allowed Thaksin to return home without serving a jail sentence for corruption. Thailand's Senate rejected the measure earlier this month.