The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) or "Red Shirt" demonstrators sacrificed blood during their protest in Bangkok on March 16, 2010. They vowed to collect one million cubic centimetres of blood to pour outside Government House in Bangkok. Protest leaders said this campaign is a symbolic move to protest against the government and call for fresh elections.
This morning, thousands of red shirts lined up to have their blood drawn by medical activists, a day after red-shirt leader Nattawut Saikua vowed to collect "1 million cubic centimetres" of blood to spill at Government House on Tuesday evening. More blood will be shed at the headquarters of the Democrat Party on Wednesday and the Prime Minister's house on Thursday if the protesters’ demands were not met.
Earlier on Monday, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva held a meeting with coalition party leaders at the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order (CAPO) headquarters at the 11th Infantry Regiment in Bang Khen district in northern Bangkok. Meanwhile tens of thousands protesters rallied from their encampment on Ratchadamnoen Road to CAPO headquarters demanding that the government dissolve parliament and launch fresh elections.
After the meeting, Abhisit told a nationwide television audience that his government and coalition parties disagreed with the protesters’ demands. “We cannot respond to the protesters’ demands. We also have people other than the protesters to respond to", Abhisit said. He also claimed that his government is constitutionally legitimate.
After the press conference, he left the 11th Infantry Regiment by helicopter, 10 minutes before the Red Shirt protesters arrived.
After Abhisit’s refusal, Nattawut Saikua announced the "one million cubic centimetres of blood sacrifice" campaign to call on the government to dissolve Parliament.
“This is a vow of non-violence by the red shirts. We do not want bloodshed, loss of life, or violent clashes with anyone. If our country has no democracy, every single drop of bloodshed will be the blood of serfs who have no influence, like the red shirts today,’ Natthawut said.
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