Thai protesters storm army offices, demand help to overthrow government - CNN

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• The protesters jumped over the gate to the front of the building
• Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra survived a no-confidence vote in parliament Thursday
• But throngs of protesters are seeking her ouster

Bangkok, Thailand (CNN) -- Hundreds of protesters stormed army headquarters in Bangkok on Friday to demand help overthrowing the government, a military spokesman said.

An anti-government protester blows a whistle in front of Thai flags during a rally at Bangkok's Democracy Monument on Friday, one day after the embattled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra survived a no-confidence vote in parliament.

Anti-government protesters occupied the army headquarters on November 29, 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand, despite calls from the country's prime minister for protesters to cease their sustained demonstrations and negotiate an end to the nation's latest crisis.

Opposition protesters in Bangkok say they plan to march towards the headquarters of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's ruling party on Friday, as they continue their campaign to overthrow her.

Anti-government protesters blow whistles as they rally at the Department Special Investigation in Bangkok on November 27, 2013.

Flag-waving protesters vowing to topple the Thai prime minister took to the streets of Bangkok for a fourth day Wednesday, declaring they would take over "every ministry" of the government.

A Thai riot policeman holds flowers which were offered to him by opposition protesters during a rally at a government complex in Bangkok on November 27, 2013.

Thousands of anti-government protesters occupy the Finance ministry for a third day in a bid to oust the current government of Yingluck Shinawatra on November 27, 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Thailand's mass political protests spread outside the capital on Wednesday as opposition demonstrators stepped up their attempts to overthrow Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's government, plunging the country deeper into crisis.

Anti-government protesters demonstrate outside the Ministry of Interior in a bid to oust the current government of Yingluck Shinawatra November 26, 2013 in Bangkok,Thailand.

Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra appealed for an end to 'mob rule' on November 26 as she prepared to face a no-confidence debate in parliament.

Thai riot police stand guard in Bangkok on Monday in an escalation of mass street rallies aiming to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's embattled government.

Demonstrators wave national flags during a rally in Bangkok on November 25, 2013.

A Thai opposition protester waves a clapper during a rally at Bangkok's Democracy Monument Sunday.

Tens of thousands of pro- and anti-government demonstrators massed in rival rallies in Bangkok on Sunday, as Thailand grappled with its most potent revival of street politics since bloody protests in 2010.

Anti-government protesters are calling for Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to step down, claiming she is a stooge for her brother, the exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thai pro-government 'red shirts' gathered at a football stadium to counter the growing anti-government protests and to show support for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's crisis-hit administration.

Thai opposition leaders Suthep Thaugsuban, center, and former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, left, clinch their fists as they appear on stage during a rally at Democracy Monument in Bangkok Sunday.

Thai pro-government 'red shirts' hold pictures of Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra as she gather at Rajamangala Stadium in Bankok Sunday.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva waves to anti-government protesters Sunday.

Anti-government protesters ripple a giant Thai flag.

A Thai opposition protester holds up a placard mocking exiled former leader, Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin has a strong support base among Thailand's rural and working class, but is detested among the elite and middle classes, who accuse him of corruption.


Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies
Thai protesters stage huge rallies

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Thai protesters stage huge rallies

Thousands march against Thai government

Tensions tighten in Thailand

Thailand PM defies critics
The protesters jumped over the gate to the front of the building.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra survived a no-confidence vote in parliament Thursday, but throngs of protesters are seeking her ouster.
"The government is ready to open a space for dialogue," the embattled prime minster said in a brief televised statement after the vote. She added that officials are willing to "listen to all voices of people, including those who are still occupying the governmental offices."
But a spokesman for Yingluck's Pheu Thai Party said she would not resign or dissolve the parliament.
"She will stay in power," Prompong Nopparit said.
Protesters have been calling for an end to the government led by Yingluck, whose brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, is a telecommunications tycoon and former premier who was ousted in a 2006 coup.
Yingluck's critics accuse her of being Thaksin's puppet, a charge she denies.
Thaksin was a polarizing figure who was removed from power by the military in 2006, while he was in New York. Except for a brief return in 2008, he has lived in exile since then. Thai courts have convicted him of corruption and sentenced him in absentia to two years in prison.
Courts have also frozen billions of dollars of his assets, but he is believed to still have a great deal of money held elsewhere.
In recent days, thousands of protesters have ramped up pressure on the government led by Thaksin's sister by surrounding government buildings. On Monday, protesters in Bangkok stormed the finance ministry building and converted it into a command center.
The current round of protests started as a response to a government-backed amnesty bill that could have extended a pardon to Thaksin Shinawatra and opened the door for his return to Thailand.
The Thai senate rejected the bill on November 11, but opposition demonstrators have called since then for Yingluck's government to be replaced.
At various points during the past few days, demonstrators have surrounded the foreign ministry, the agriculture ministry and the interior ministry.
Yingluck has said authorities will "absolutely not use violence" to disperse the demonstrators. But the situation is delicate after Thai police issued an arrest warrant against protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban.
On Thursday, protesters pulled down electricity wires to the National Police Headquarters.
And while these protests have been peaceful, they evoke memories of the 2010 clashes in Bangkok between security forces and Thaksin supporters who demanded his return. Some 90 people, many of them civilians, were killed.