Anti-government red-shirt activists gather outside a prison in Bangkok Tuesday to protest the detention of eleven of their leaders facing terrorism charges. Officially called the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, the red shirts movement is made up of mostly urban and rural working-class people. They believe the current government is illegitimate and that its royalist and military backers have undermined democracy. This red shirts leader expressed solidarity with the incarcerated leaders. Red Shirts Leader from Northeastern Thailand, Vichien Sinthuprai said, I am here to represent our brothers in the northeastern provinces, and to convey their message of concern to our 11 leaders who are being detained here. We are still giving full support to our leaders and we are continuing our peaceful movement as we have been. A paralysing 10-week red shirt protest from mid-March to May aimed to force an immediate election. That demand was not met and protests spiraled into bloody clashes with troops, leaving 91 people dead. Last week, the Thai government extended a controversial security law, saying the country's situation remains volatile. But the red-shirts activists have started gathering again despite the decree and some analysts believe anti-government sentiment could become even more entrenched as a result of the crackdowns.
