Protesters gather again to demand Yingluck resign

[BANGKOK] Tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators once again massed at several sites in Thailand's capital yesterday in a bid to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, before a now uncertain February election which the main opposition party will boycott.

Ms Yingluck has called a snap poll for Feb 2 to try to cool tensions and renew her mandate, but protesters are rejecting any election until the implementation of vague reforms ostensibly aimed at weakening the influence of the Shinawatra family.

The weeks-long political deadlock became more uncertain on Saturday when the opposition Democrat Party, Thailand's oldest, announced it would boycott the election, saying that the democratic system had failed Thais.