Yellow Shirt gives Thai govt 7-day ultimatum

Thailand's elite-backed "Yellow Shirts" vowed yesterday to take action if the government failed to deal with their rival red-clad demonstrators in Bangkok within a week, a spokesman said.
The "Red Shirts", who mainly support ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, have occupied the capital for more than a month in their anti-government campaign, which led to clashes with security forces last weekend leaving 25 people dead.
"In seven days we hope that the government will deal with the terrorists from Thaksin immediately otherwise we will show our voice to protect the country and the royal family," said Parnthep Pourpongpan, a spokesman for the yellow group formally known as the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).
Meanwhile, Thailand's red-clad protesters vowed Sunday to step up their anti-government campaign this week as thousands of their arch-rival "Yellow Shirts" gathered to discuss a response to weeks of rallies.
The yellow protest group, backed by the country's elite, has until now remained largely silent since the Reds' mass rallies started in mid-March and descended into deadly clashes with the army last weekend, leaving 25 dead.
"We have the PAD representatives from different provinces coming to analyse the situation and lay out the structure for long-term solutions. There are 3,000 to 5,000 people joining the meeting today," said Parnthep Pourpongpan, a spokesman for the yellow group.
Meanwhile the Reds planned to step up their campaign for snap elections on Tuesday by boosting numbers in the commercial area that they currently occupy. "On the 20th, we will have a big rally here," said Red leader Jatuporn Prompan. He denied they would march on a key financial hub as feared by the army but said the crowd might "accidentally spread" to that district if it became too large.