In Thailand, thousands of red-shirted, anti-government demonstrators converged in Bangkok today, vowing to oust the government in a mass protest and display of strength. Businesses were closed down, social events were canceled and Bangkok's normal chaotic traffic was unusually light today. The Red Shirts, formally known as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, are followers of former Prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, along with other people who oppose the 2006 military coup that toppled him. Several thousand protesters had started gathering peacefully in Bangkok yesterday.<br/><br/>A 50,000-strong security force, including soldiers, patrolled the streets and manned checkpoints into the city, in an effort to ward off demonstrators. Organisers insist the protests will be peaceful, but the government has enacted the strict Internal Security Act to monitor the rally.