BANGKOK - Anti-government protesters poured bottles of their own blood outside the Thai prime minister's office on Tuesday, a "sacrifice for democracy" after demands for elections were rejected. Hoping to re-energize a movement waning after four days of peaceful protests, supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra gathered at a heavily guarded Government House to splash 300 liters (80 gallons) of their blood at the gates. The government showed no sign of heeding pressure to call polls, which Thaksin's allies would be well placed to win. The absence of violence and a growing view that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, with the backing of the military, can ride out the crisis was a key factor helping lift Thailand's stock market 2.4 per cent to a two-month high on Tuesday. Despite political tensions, foreign investors have been buyers of Thai stocks for the past 15 sessions, scooping up a net $850 million over that period, although volumes slowed this week. "If we can get past this week, things should return to normal," said Patareeya Benjapolchai, president of the Stock Exchange of Thailand. That message was reinforced by U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley, which upgraded its recommendation on Thailand's stock market to "overweight" in a note to clients. At the rally site, some "red shirts" dwelled on their failure to achieve their goal as others withered under Bangkok's scorching sun. Of the 150,000 demonstrators who had massed on Sunday night, many had left. Police say about 30,000 remained. "We will continue. The people will decide how long we will stay," Weng Tojirakarn, a protest leader, told Reuters.
