DHAKA: Thai premier Yingluck Shinawatra appealed on Tuesday for anti-government groups to end ongoing street protests after the parliamentary defeat of an amnesty bill failed to defuse political tensions.

The bill, which critics say was aimed at allowing divisive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra to return home from self-exile, was rejected by senators in a unanimous vote late Monday.

Anger over the amnesty proposal saw around 50,000 people cluster in the political heart of Bangkok late into the night, with some 2,500 anti-government protesters remaining on the streets on Tuesday, reports The Straits Times.

The opposition Democrat Party, which is seen as benefiting from the protests, has called for a three-day nationwide strike starting on Wednesday despite assurances from the ruling Puea Thai party not to revive the bill.

BDST: 1612 HRS, NOV 12, 2013
RoR/RK