The red shirts also violently attacked the prime minister’s vehicle when he was trying to leave the venue. In the meantime, the red shirt leaders declared their victory and asked the protesters to return to the main gathering in Bangkok.
Throughout the time of the traditional Thai New Year long weekend, 100,000 red shirts assembled at Government House and the Royal Grand Field in Bangkok’s old town. The Abhisit government announced a state of emergency in Bangkok and ordered the troops to surround the protest areas. As a result, two people died and more than 100 red shirts were injured from the clash. As revealed by Human Rights Watch, the red shirts initiated an attack on Thai soldiers with guns, explosive materials, slingshots and rocks (Bell, 2009). However, some international media hinted that the use of violent means to deal with the protesters was a serious mistake for Abhisit government (Abuza, 2009). In the early morning of the Thai New Year day (13 April), Thai soldiers used tear gas to disperse the red shirt protesters in central Bangkok. The next day, thousands of troops moved to clear the red shirt demonstrators from around the government building. The red shirt leaders decided to end the rally but vowed to go on with the anti-government campaign (BBC, 2009a).
During the months of March and May 2010, the red shirt protest activities intensified after the Thai Supreme Court announced the seizure of Thaksin’s assets. Most red shirt protesters from the north and north-eastern provinces of Thailand continuously travelled to join their fellows in Bangkok despite attempted roadblocks conducted by the authority. The UDD’s protest at the old town district of the Thai capital went on peacefully with the call for the resignation of the premier. Then in April 2010, the red shirt leaders decided to move their protest to Bangkok’s luxurious, tourist-attractive Downtown area. At this time, the government imposed a state of emergency and sent the troops in to crack down on the red shirt gathering.