Anti-government protesters clog streets, bridges in Bangkok

Thousands of protesters choked intersections, bridges and roads in Bangkok Monday in their effort to force out the government ahead of the Feb. 2 elections. After the commercial center was overrun by protesters Sunday night, masses of people moved along key rally sites on Monday, blowing whistles, denouncing the prime minister and vowing to work for a vote on reforms to better what they say is a government that has become more corrupt, Voice of America reported. The Wall Street Journal reported some offices, schools and universities were closed. Public transit ridership was low. Police estimated about 75,000 people participated in the Monday protests. The Bank of Thailand said at least 40 branches of various financial institutions also were closed. Trading on the country's stock exchange opened lower but rallied to close higher, the Journal said. Thailand's latest political crisis began late last year, when Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's party tried to pass a political amnesty measure that would have absolved dozens of people of crimes tied to political struggle over the last decade. Included in the measure would have been Yingluck's older brother, former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, paving the way for his return from exile. The unpopular amnesty measure was defeated and Yingluck later dissolved her government and called for early elections to try unsuccessfully to quell the political backlash. Now, opposition parties are boycotting the Feb. 2 elections and demanding significant political reforms before new elections are conducted. "We want [an] election, but not right now. Our country is not ready for [an] election. If it's... not a fair election, it's not a fair vote. For sure the same people will come back," protester Jiravadee Kanamoto told VOA. The Election Commission as recommended Sunday that the elections be delayed, which the government said it would consider during a meeting Wednesday, the Journal said. Protest organizers say they are prepared to keep up the rallies until the elections, while authorities say they're ready to declare a state of emergency if need be, Voice of America said. Since the protests began last year, eight people have been killed in sporadic shooting.