The protest leader, Suthep Thaugsuban, a deputy prime minister in the previous government, told thousands of supporters occupying a state office complex late on Thursday that "the end game will happen in the next day or two".
Yingluck has ruled out resigning or dissolving parliament, and appears intent on riding out the storm. As tension mounts, her government has urged its supporters and the police to avoid confronting the demonstrators, who it says are running out of steam.
"The government will not instigate a violent situation because that is exactly what Suthep wants," said Udomdet Rattanasatein, a lawmaker from Yingluck's Puea Thai party. "We will not be provoked."
Yingluck had governed for two years without a major challenge until last month, when her party tried to ram through an amnesty bill that would have expunged Thaksin's 2008 graft conviction and cleared the way for his political comeback.
The Senate rejected it, and Yingluck then shelved it, but the protests escalated, switching from a campaign against the amnesty to a bid to bring down the government.
Thaksin's working-class support has ensured parties led by him, his brother-in-law and now his sister have won a decade of elections. But Thaksin's opponents attempted to overthrow all of those governments, saying he politicised and bought-off the poor with cheap credit and healthcare and wasteful state subsidies.
The demonstrators have a presence at five locations in Bangkok, three in its historic heart, one in the city's northern fringe and another at the Finance Ministry, which they have occupied since Monday.
The Civil Movement for Democracy, as the anti-government demonstrators call themselves, has garnered support from white collar workers and 45 unions with a combined 200,000 members.
Edited by Steve Wilson
Yingluck has ruled out resigning or dissolving parliament, and appears intent on riding out the storm. As tension mounts, her government has urged its supporters and the police to avoid confronting the demonstrators, who it says are running out of steam.
"The government will not instigate a violent situation because that is exactly what Suthep wants," said Udomdet Rattanasatein, a lawmaker from Yingluck's Puea Thai party. "We will not be provoked."
Yingluck had governed for two years without a major challenge until last month, when her party tried to ram through an amnesty bill that would have expunged Thaksin's 2008 graft conviction and cleared the way for his political comeback.
The Senate rejected it, and Yingluck then shelved it, but the protests escalated, switching from a campaign against the amnesty to a bid to bring down the government.
Thaksin's working-class support has ensured parties led by him, his brother-in-law and now his sister have won a decade of elections. But Thaksin's opponents attempted to overthrow all of those governments, saying he politicised and bought-off the poor with cheap credit and healthcare and wasteful state subsidies.
The demonstrators have a presence at five locations in Bangkok, three in its historic heart, one in the city's northern fringe and another at the Finance Ministry, which they have occupied since Monday.
The Civil Movement for Democracy, as the anti-government demonstrators call themselves, has garnered support from white collar workers and 45 unions with a combined 200,000 members.
Edited by Steve Wilson