Thai anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban gestures as he addresses supporters during a rally at Democracy Monument in Bangkok, Thailand Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2013. Anti-government protests aimed to topple Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawartra continued in the capital on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Wason Wanichakorn)
December 18, 2013 - 10:53 PM
BANGKOK - Thailand's anti-government protesters have returned to the streets of Bangkok, blocking midday traffic and turning one of the capital's major intersections into a lunchtime picnic spot.
More than 2,000 people have joined the protest by midday Thursday, a far smaller crowd than earlier in the month.
Protest leaders say the march is a warm-up for a mass rally called for Sunday in their ongoing bid to force Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to resign.
Yingluck dissolved Parliament last week and called for a snap election Feb. 2 to defuse the crisis that started several weeks ago.
Protest leaders are demanding that Yingluck, who remains the country's caretaker prime minister, step down before any polls take place to pave the way for pre-election reforms.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013