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| Fatal blast hits Bangkok protest | Fatal blast hits Bangkok protest |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| An explosion in Bangkok has killed at least one anti-government protester and wounded more than 20, reports say. | An explosion in Bangkok has killed at least one anti-government protester and wounded more than 20, reports say. |
| The pre-dawn blast rocked an area where demonstrators had gathered in the city's Government House compound. | The pre-dawn blast rocked an area where demonstrators had gathered in the city's Government House compound. |
| Protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) group have occupied the area since late August. | Protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) group have occupied the area since late August. |
| They are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's government, saying it is too close to ousted former PM Thaksin Shinawatra. | They are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's government, saying it is too close to ousted former PM Thaksin Shinawatra. |
| The demonstrators said a grenade had exploded near the main stage of their protest site at about 0330 (2030 GMT Wednesday). | |
| The protests have seen some of the worst street violence since pro-democracy activists challenged Thailand's army in 1992. | |
| Abuse of power? | |
| An alliance of conservative and staunchly royalist academics, activists and business people, the PAD accuses Mr Somchai and his recently-ousted predecessor, Samak Sundaravej, of simply being proxies for Thaksin. | |
| The PAD wants to replace Thailand's one-man, one-vote system with one in which some representatives are chosen by professions and social groups rather than the general electorate. | |
| Thaksin, Mr Somchai's brother-in-law, was forced from office in a military coup in 2006 and remains in exile overseas. | |
| The new government says it wants to start negotiations with the PAD. But it is also pushing ahead with controversial plans to amend the constitution - a key grievance of the protesters who see it as part of a plan to rehabilitate Thaksin. | |
| The alliance says the government must resign because of its links to Thaksin. It accuses him of corruption and abuse of power while he was in office. | |
| It has also suggested that Thaksin and his allies have a hidden republican agenda, a serious charge at a time when the country is beset by anxiety over the future of the monarchy. | |
| Thaksin was last month convicted in absentia of violating conflict of interest rules, and still faces several other charges. |