Thai red shirts storm into Election Commission

Anti-government protesters force their way into Thailand's Election Commission building in Bangkok April 5, 2010. Hundreds of anti-government protesters forced their way into Thailand's Election Commission building on Monday, raising the stakes in a rolling four-week street rally aimed at toppling the government. The red-shirted protesters, supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, have occupied Bangkok's main shopping district for three days in a bid to force Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to dissolve parliament and call an election. (Reuters Photo)

Anti-government protesters force their way into Thailand's Election Commission building in Bangkok April 5, 2010. Hundreds of anti-government protesters forced their way into Thailand's Election Commission building on Monday, raising the stakes in a rolling four-week street rally aimed at toppling the government. (Reuters Photo)

BANGKOK, April 5 (Xinhua) -- More than two hundreds red-shirted protesters rushed into the head office of Election Commission (EC) Monday afternoon in Bangkok but they soon retreated following their leader's request of a peaceful demonstration.

The anti-government red-shirts entered into the EC building at about 02:00 p.m. local time after the election commissioners failed to show up to answer their demand concerning Democrat Party 's dissolution case.

A female red-shirt at the site, however, explained on a live broadcast by Redshirt TV, that they did not intend to break into the building. They entered into the building after one of their leaders went in to talk to the commissioners, and they worried about his safety. "The police just let us in," the lady said.

There is no clash between the protesters and the security forces so far. Now the red-shirts are still rallying in front of the EC building.

A group of red-shirts this morning moved from Phanon Yothin Road to rally near the EC office in the government complex on Chaeng Wattana road in Bangkok's Lak Si area.

The Election Commission must say whether or not it would dissolve the Democrat Party by 02:00 p.m. local time Monday, red- shirts' leader Kwanchai Praiphana said earlier.

The ruling Democrat party has been accused of receiving an illegal 258 million baht (about 8 million U.S. dollars) donation from TPI Polene Plc in 2005. The constitution caps individual donations at 10 million baht a year. If the EC upholds the complaint, the prime minister's party could be disbanded by the Constitution Court.

The red-shirts, led by the United front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), has accused the EC of applying a double standard and of deliberately delaying a decision in the Democrat Party's case. The EC has been investigating the case for more than a year.