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16 March 2010

Thailand protest: in pictures

Thailand's red-shirt demonstrators are entering their third day of protests. Here are photographs fr

By Samira Shackle

Above, supporters of the ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra (one of them wearing a mask of the man himself) shout slogans.

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A pro-Thaksin supporter holds a syringe full of blood at a protest site. Protesters are donating their blood with the intention of collecting one million cubic centimeters, to be thrown in demonstrations outside Government House.

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A nurse deposits blood in a bottle. The protesters’ unusual step comes as the current prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, continues to reject calls for dissolution of the House and a fresh election.

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Spirits are high among Thaksin supporters, shown here waiting in line to donate their blood.

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The protests have so far been non-violent, and the mood remains jovial but determined.

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However, tens of thousands of state paratroopers remain on standby. According to the BBC, army leaders say they plan to be flexible and gentle.

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Buddhist monks join the rally. They are among those who have brushed off concerns about how hygienic the mass blood donation is.

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The streets outside the 11th Infantry Battalion barracks and at other protest sites in Bangkok remain full, though some reports say that, on day three of the protests, numbers are beginning to dwindle.

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