BANGKOK - Thai anti-government protesters stepped up security at their base in an upmarket Bangkok shopping center on Saturday, a week after bloody clashes with security forces killed 24 people. Thousands of protesters gathered under leaden skies to commemorate the deaths as more permanent fixtures of medical supplies, sanitary facilities and foodstalls were set up. The "red shirts" have pledged to turn the area into a "final battleground" to oust Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, forcing high-end malls to close and sending tourists fleeing the area. Abhisit said he would crack down on violent elements among protesters whom he calls "terrorists" and on Friday put his army chief in charge of security operations at the expense of Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban after a bungled attempt to arrest red shirt leaders. However, he made no indication there would be immediate attempt to dislodge the protesters, calling for patience. "There has been more talk of crackdown and possible attempts to take us in, so we have to make sure we are not infiltrated," protest leader Nattawut Saikua said, adding that the red shirts had no plans to march on Saturday and Sunday. The red shirt leaders would make new sleeping arrangements at undisclosed locations, Nattawut said, as leaders recruited more volunteers among protesters to become their "guards."
