Thai protesters defy order to leave PM's compound

Thousands of anti-government protesters defied a court order to leave Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's official compound today as the group's leaders vowed to stay until his administration fell.

Samak, who ordered thousands of police to break up the rally at Government House yesterday, softened his tough stance after police failed to exercise arrest warrants overnight for nine leaders of the anti-government campaign.

"After thorough consideration, it would be too dangerous to do so," Samak told reporters at army headquarters after being forced to abandon his main office this week.

"I've told the police not to break up the crowd, but to encourage people to leave," Samak said of the 10,000 supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) camped on the Government House lawn behind makeshift barricades.

The PAD leaders are charged with inciting unrest and trying to overthrow the seven-month-old government, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

"We won't leave Government House as ordered by the Civil Court," one PAD leader, Chamlong Srimuang, told reporters.

"Our demands remain the same - to have the government resign and to prevent an amendment of the 2007 constitution," added Chamlong, an ascetic Buddhist and retired major-general.

That constitution was drawn up under an army-controlled administration after the military overthrew former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a 2006 coup.

The PAD accuses the government elected in December of being an illegitimate proxy of Thaksin, now in exile in London.

It also proclaims itself to be a defender of revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej against a supposed Thaksin plan to turn Thailand into a republic - a charge vehemently denied by both Thaksin and the government.

The crowd at Government House had swollen to as many as 40,000 people during the night, including large numbers of middle-aged women. Rotting garbage littered the grounds and clothing hung from window ledges.

Hastily erected barricades of car tyres, razor wire and steel crash barriers remained on roads leading to the compound.

Dozens of police trucks were parked on streets nearby and police doctors and ambulances were on standby at police headquarters, a Reuters witness said.

Civil Court officials are due to deliver a court order telling the PAD leaders to move out of the compound and open up the surrounding streets, but the PAD said it would launch an appeal in a higher court.