Thai protesters to hold weekly rallies

SANAM LUANG, Thailand, April 26 (UPI) -- Anti-government Thai protesters say they will hold weekly rallies and establish an assembly representing every province in an effort to topple the government.

Five thousand members of the red-shirted United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, who back ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, held a demonstration Saturday in Sanam Luang where the policy was announced, the Bangkok Post reported.

"We have to think about a new strategy to fight for our causes because we were unable to achieve political change simply by holding mass demonstrations," UDD leader Jaran Dithapichai said.

The Post said the UDD will hold rallies every Saturday in one of 15 provinces, with another major demonstration scheduled for May 17 in Bangkok to commemorate the 17th anniversary of the Black May incident of 1992, in which the military government of Gen. Suchina Kraprayoon cracked down on mass protests, killing at least 52.