| By Soutik Biswas BBC News, Kerala |
 Tourism is one of the major drivers of growth in Kerala Photos: Haris Kuttipuram |
Why is India's most socially developed state - and one of the developing world's most advanced regions - an economic laggard?
This question about Kerala, known all over the world for its lush landscapes, sun-drenched beaches and idyllic backwaters, has been a subject of intense debate among economists and social scientists.
Kerala defies all stereotypes of a "socially backward" Indian state - swathes of people living in abject poverty, men outnumbering women because of female foeticide, internecine caste politics.
Many of its social indicators are on par with the developed world and it has the highest human development index in India.
 |  Kerala needs a new contract between the state and its people to move ahead and build upon its enviable gains  |
It also has the highest literacy rate (more than 90%) and life expectancy in India, lowest infant mortality, lowest school drop-out rate, and a fairly prosperous countryside.
That's not all.
In contrast to India's more prosperous states, like Punjab and Haryana, Kerala can boast a very healthy gender ratio - women outnumber men here.
Life expectancy for women is also higher than for men, as in most developed countries. Thanks to a matrilineal society, women, by and large, are more empowered than in most places in India.
Low population
When it comes to low population growth, Kerala competes with Europe and the US. And all but two districts of the state have a lower fertility rate than that needed to maintain current population levels.
 Women outnumber men in Kerala |
All this happened because of the region's early trading connections with the West - the Portuguese arrived here in the 15th Century, followed by the Dutch and then the British - and a long history of social reforms initiated by the missionaries and the kings of two princely states that were later integrated to create Kerala.
And thanks to pioneering land reforms initiated by a Communist government in the late 1950s, the levels of rural poverty here are the lowest in India. Decent state-funded health care and education even made it the best welfare state in India.
Yet, today, Kerala is a straggler economy almost entirely dependent on tourism and remittances sent back by two million of its people who live and work abroad, mostly in the Gulf.
Joblessness is rife due to the lack of a robust manufacturing base - more than 15% in urban areas, three times the national average. More than 30 million people live in the densely populated state, a third of which is covered by forests
More people here are taking their lives than anywhere else in India. Alcoholism is a dire social problem - the state has India's highest per capita alcohol consumption. People migrate because there are no jobs at home.
Money shortage
Economists find this paradoxical given the fact that Kerala has met most of the UN's millennium development goals.
"Unlike many East Asian states, social development has not become an instrument in triggering economic development in Kerala," says economist Joseph Tharamangalam.
So the state has little money to fund health care and education leading to an explosion of expensive, private hospitals, schools and colleges, which the poor cannot afford.
Road networks are extensive, but the state has few highways. Electricity has reached nearly every village but the quality of service is poor.
Many believe that the skewed nature of the economy - it has been called the "money order economy" - is to blame.
Kerala lives off remittances and it lacks a manufacturing base. Economists draw parallels with the Philippines and Sri Lanka, which face similar problems.
 The urban-rural gap is the lowest in Kerala |
And Kerala has not benefited directly from the rise of its biggest service industry, tourism. Service tax is a federal tax which first goes to Delhi, and is then distributed among different states.
Kerala's biggest advantage - high literacy - has become a strange liability: the vast majority of educated unemployed have to go elsewhere for work.
Economists like KK George, who have spent a lifetime studying the "Kerala conundrum", say the state is facing a "second generation problem" of growth.
"Having fulfilled all millennium development goals, the state has no money left for higher investments. The central government is busy tackling poverty and illiteracy in most states, so doesn't have time or money for Kerala. And successive governments in Kerala have not been able to take it forward," says Dr George.
Economists say it is ironic that a region which benefited early from informal international trade - with the Dutch and the English - and its proximity to West Asia has failed to reap the benefits of economic liberalisation at home.
Over-politicised
Some commentators say the problem stems from the fact that Kerala is an over-politicised and "over-extended state". The argument goes that radical unions, bolstered by successive communist governments, have acted as "pressure groups advancing particular vested interests".
 Kerala has a modestly prosperous countryside |
In the process, the general prosperity of the state has been neglected.
Also, analysts say, decades of militant trade unionism led by the Communists has led to a poor work ethic and an "estrangement" from private investments - a condition similar to India's other Communist-run state, West Bengal.
Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen says Kerala has to "learn from the world". Its famed model of development, which is still touted as the most inclusive one, appears to have hit the buffers.
"The Kerala model is grinding to a halt because the social and political groups having fulfilled their original agenda now have no new agendas. Society has lost its capacity to set collective goals. There are no more big dreams," says Dr George.
"The old change agents like the Christian church and their missionary organisations, social reform movements in various caste groups, trade unions and political parties are acting merely as pressure groups either to defend the status quo or to extract the maximum possible share of a cake that is not increasing in size."
Clearly, Kerala needs a new contract between the state and its people to move ahead and build upon its enviable gains.
| By Damian Grammaticas BBC News, Beijing |
Lawyer Gao Zhisheng was taken away by police in China a year ago
The brother of the missing Chinese human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng has told the BBC that he is "no longer worried" about Mr Gao's safety.
Gao Zhiyi claimed he had spoken to his brother on the telephone within the past three weeks and said: "I know that he's fine."
But his comments do not appear to have cleared up the mystery of what has happened to Gao Zhisheng.
The outspoken critic of the government went missing at the beginning of 2009.
He has not been seen since police came for him in the middle of one night early in February last year.
China's government has been under international pressure to say where Gao Zhisheng is and whether he is alive and well.
US President Barack Obama has raised his case. But Gao Zhisheng has not been produced in any court or given access to a lawyer.
And despite repeated requests, the Chinese authorities have provided little information about his fate.
'Neighbours'
So the BBC travelled to central China where we tracked down his brother, the last person to see Mr Gao before he was seized.
|  He (Gao Zhisheng) said he's quite well, everything's fine, and told the family not to worry Gao Zhiyi, brother |
The road to Mr Gao's family home winds deep into the hills of northern Shaanxi province.
It's a bizarre and barren landscape, bisected by hundreds of valleys and gorges, like a giant, crumpled maze, dotted with poor villages.
Up a small, muddy path is the Gao family home. It's a line of traditional cave dwellings, large, simple rooms hewn into the hillside, and fronted by a facade of stone.
Before we visited our phone calls had been answered by two separate people who claimed they were "neighbours" watching the house as Gao Zhiyi had, they said, "gone away for a few days". It is not clear who these "neighbours" were.
'Nervous' interview
When we arrived we found Gao Zhiyi, a farmer, busy at work outside his home, cutting stone slabs to lay paving outside his home.
There was no obvious sign of any Chinese security officials, but Gao Zhiyi was clearly nervous.
He asked us to be quick, saying: "Please go home soon, don't stay for too long. Because if the local authority finds out, it won't be nice".
Then he told us that Gao Zhisheng had called on 28 February or 1 March.
"He said he's quite well, everything's fine, and told the family not to worry," said Gao Zhiyi.
Asked if he was sure it was his brother's voice, he was firm: "It couldn't be wrong." And asked if Gao Zhisheng sounded healthy, Gao Zhiyi said "yes, very well".
But Gao Zhiyi said the conversation was brief, and his brother did not say where he was.
He claimed to have had three or four such calls since Gao Zhisheng vanished.
"I'm no longer worried. I just know that he's fine," he said.
It's impossible to say whether Gao Zhiyi did get the calls or whether he has been pressured to give this account to us.
Torture claim
From his family's poor beginnings Gao Zhisheng rose far. A decade ago he was named one of the 10 best lawyers in China by the government.
 Gao Zhisheng has challenged China's leaders publicly |
But he began to take on highly controversial cases, dealing with corruption, religious freedom, and - most sensitive of all - China's treatment of members of the banned Falun Gong movement.
He dared to challenge China's leaders publicly, writing open letters claiming they were "liable" for what he called the brutal and illegal persecution of Falun Gong members.
His law licence was taken away. He was convicted of inciting subversion, given a suspended sentence and released in 2006. The reason there are so many fears for his safety is that he claims to have been tortured during another detention in 2007.
An account of that torture, written by Gao Zhisheng and released by human rights groups just after he vanished last year, is graphic.
"Four electric batons started to shock me all over... when Wang started to shock my genitals, I begged him to stop," and he goes on, "he said 'You wrote to the American Congress. You traitor. This is China. The Communist Party's territory. Killing you is as easy as stepping on an ant'".
Beijing's denial
Gao Zhisheng was at his brother's house when police came for him, and Gao Zhiyi says the family were extremely concerned.
"We were worried about whether his life was under threat. Now we are a bit relieved but we can still do nothing."
It's tantalising, but Gao Zhiyi's story adds to the mystery about what's happened to Gao Zhisheng.
On Tuesday, in response to a question from the BBC about where the missing lawyer is, and whether he is alive and well, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi said: "Gao Zhisheng was sentenced for subverting state power. His personal rights have been protected according to Chinese law. There is no so-called torture upon him."
It appeared that Mr Yang was referring to Mr Gao's original conviction, not a new one. And he did not address the issues of where Mr Gao was or what state of health he was in.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said he had raised the case, adding: "The widespread concern about it is an example of the global social conscience that increasingly exists. Foreign Minister Yang insisted to me on the integrity of the criminal justice and judicial procedures that exist in China".
No sign
To try to find Gao Zhisheng, we travelled further, to China's far west and the province of Xinjiang.
 The tower blocks in Urumqi where Mr has allegedly been spotted |
Earlier this year Chinese diplomats in America had suggested that Mr Gao was alive and "working" in Urumqi.
We went to the address where it has been rumoured Mr Gao had been spotted. It consisted of two tower blocks of modern flats, along with a busy hotel and many private businesses.
There was no sign of Mr Gao, no sign of any extra security, and everyone we showed his photograph to said they were sure they had never seen the missing lawyer.
So the questions remain. Where is Gao Zhisheng? Is he in good health? Why is China still saying nothing about his whereabouts?
Gao Zhisheng's wife and two children fled to America shortly before he was picked up last year. They and many others are still waiting to hear the answers.
| By Maggie Shiels Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley |
 Pressure groups see broadband investment as vital to the US economy |
US regulators have unveiled the nation's first plan to give every American super-fast broadband by 2020.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which will now submit the plan to Congress, said broadband was the "greatest infrastructure challenge".
It estimates that one-third of Americans, about 100 million people, are without broadband at home.
The FCC's goal is to provide speeds of 100 megabits per second (Mbps), compared to an average 4Mbps now.
"Broadband for every American is not too ambitious a plan and it is absolutely necessary," former FCC chairman Reed Hundt told BBC News.
"The consequences of not succeeding are heartbreaking. Every nation needs a common medium to gather around and to have the internet as a common medium where a third are left out is unacceptable."
'Silver bullet'
In an executive summary released ahead of the presentation to Congress on 16 March, the FCC said: "Broadband is a foundation for economic growth, job creation, global competitiveness and a better way of life.
| WHAT GOVERNMENT WILL DO Connect 100 million homes to super-fast broadband with speeds up to 100 megabits per second Allocate spectrum to allow network updates for wireless broadband Increase adoption rates to 90% and make sure every child is digitally literate before they leave school Encourage greater competition among providers to make prices cheaper and deals easier to understand Use digital switch-over fund to bring cheap broadband to rural areas Provide one gigabit broadband to schools, hospitals and military installations |
"It is changing how we educate children, deliver healthcare, manage energy, ensure public safety, engage government, and access, organise and disseminate knowledge".
For industry analyst Erik Sherman of business and news site BNet.com, all the talk "sounds like an overstatement".
"The plan cannot be a silver bullet for all these issues and problems which exist for a number of different reasons and not just because of a lack of broadband.
"The plan is very big in scope and if you look at the rationale, the FCC is basically saying we need more money for more internet. I am not saying we don't need a broadband plan but we have to be realistic about what it can and cannot do," Mr Sherman told BBC News.
'Fairy wings and wishes'
Months of hype and speculation has preceded the presentation of the country's first comprehensive broadband roadmap. The FCC has also held a series of briefings previewing its goals.
"It's an action plan, and action is necessary to meet the challenges of global competitiveness, and harness the power of broadband to help address so many vital national issues," said FCC chairman Julius Genachowski.
The executive summary revealed that access to high-speed internet services had grown dramatically from eight million Americans 20 years ago to nearly 200 million today.
Estimates to implement the plan have been put at $350bn (£233bn). How that bill will be split between private investment and tax dollars is not known.
"Who pays and how much is the big fight ahead," said technology industry analyst Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group.
"The devil is in the detail and right now it's all fairy wings and wishes. The Republicans are going to fight anything that is excessively expensive while the Democrats have to be wary of looking like they are cutting cheques at a time when the government is for the most part broke."
The FCC will auction off some 500 megahertz of spectrum to pay for some of the expense. More than $7bn will come from President Obama's 2009 stimulus package, which targeted broadband-related initiatives.
'Digital exclusion'
For years the technology industry has pushed for the US government to create a national broadband plan.
Ahead of today's meeting with Congress, a number of hi-tech companies wrote to Mr Genachowski to praise the plan.
"Broadband is critical to America's long-term economic and social well-being. As society increasingly moves online, the costs of digital exclusion grow as well," said the signatories of the letter, which included Cisco, Sony, Salesforce, Microsoft, Facebook and Intel.
One possible battleground is expected to be over the sale of spectrum that is mostly in the hands of television broadcasters.
Mobile carriers like AT&T and Verizon have said they will need more spectrum in future to provide superfast reliable internet connections to every customer.
"The problem is most of the spectrum is occupied by somebody else. They are going to want a lot of money for this," said Adam Thierer, president of the free-market leaning Progress & Freedom Foundation.
This is a critical week for President Obama's authority. His senior adviser David Axelrod predicts they will have enough votes to pass a healthcare bill this week. The president's spokesman, Robert Gibbs, says the same.
But the man in charge of getting enough votes in the house, James Clyburn, says he hasn't yet got them, although he's "very confident". If they are all stating reality as they see it, the White House is taking a staggering risk.
The president has delayed his long-planned Asian trip to lobby reluctant Democrats. He is gambling a lot on his own powers of persuasion to sway the 35 or so members of his own party who are inclined to vote "no".
To lose the healthcare vote because of Republicans is one thing. It opens the way to the obvious strategy of blaming the opposition for failure. This at least fires up the base.
But to lose because not enough Democrats vote for the president's own policy, his flagship legislation, would be a catastrophe.
The White House would have a go of course, and would still blame the Republicans. But it would be hard get round those Democrats who opposed, whether because they are worried about losing in November, or because they see the proposals as too liberal on abortion.
Even if the House does pass the legislation by next weekend, there is still the tricky political business of the Senate vote. But the bill would be in sight of safe haven, if not quite home and dry.
My inclination is to believe that politicians just don't take risks like this, they don't go into a room unless they know where the exit is, that the math adds up and this is about the theatre of moral pressure.
But I may be wrong.
Israel move seemed "calculated to undermine" - courtesy ABC News/This Week
Israel's announcement of plans to build 1,600 homes for Jews in East Jerusalem was "destructive" to peace efforts, a top aide to Barack Obama says.
David Axelrod said the move, which overshadowed a visit to Israel by US Vice-President Joe Biden, was also an "insult" to the United States.
Israel's prime minister has tried to play down the unusually bitter diplomatic row between the two allies.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week issued her own stern rebuke.
Mrs Clinton told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by telephone on Friday that the Israeli move was "deeply negative" for US-Israeli relations.
'Affront'
Under the Israeli plans, the new homes will be built in Ramat Shlomo in East Jerusalem.
The international community considers East Jerusalem occupied territory and says Israel's building there is illegal under international law. But Israel regards East Jerusalem - which it annexed in 1967 - as its territory.
The Palestinians are threatening to boycott newly agreed, indirect talks unless the Ramat Shlomo project is cancelled.
"This was an affront, it was an insult but most importantly it undermined this very fragile effort to bring peace to that region," David Axelrod, one of President Obama's closest aides, told NBC television.
"We have just started proximity talks, that is shuttle diplomacy, between the Palestinians and the Israelis, and for this announcement to come at that time was very destructive," he said.
At a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Mr Netanyahu began by giving a survey of media coverage of the spat with the Americans.
"I propose not to be carried away and to calm down," he said. "We know how to handle these situations, calmly, responsibly and seriously."
He went on to admit that the announcement of project during the vice-president's visit had been offensive, but it had been an accident.
Mr Netanyahu has now set up a committee of senior officials to vet the timing of such announcements.
However, the BBC's Paul Wood, in Jerusalem, says it is clear the Americans are not persuaded that this was all just a bureaucratic mix up.
The ill-timed announcement on settlements has allowed Mr Netanyahu to shore up his right-wing coalition, our correspondent says.
But Israel needs the US to deal with Iran's nuclear programme - and that is an issue which Mr Netanyahu himself has said is more important than any other facing Israel.
Close to 500,000 Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. They are illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.
The Quartet of Middle East peace mediators - the US, Russia, the EU and the UN - has also condemned the Israeli housing announcement and said it would review the situation at its ministerial meeting scheduled for 19 March in Moscow.
| POINTS OF TENSION IN JERUSALEM  1 Gilo: 850 homes approved for publication and planning objections in Nov 2009 2 Pisgat Zeev: 600 homes approved for publication and planning objections in Jan 2010 3 Sheikh Jarrah: Several Palestinian families evicted in past 18 months to make way for Jewish settlers after court ruled in ownership dispute 4 Ramat Shlomo: 1,600 homes approved for publication and planning objections in Mar 2010 5 Silwan: Demolition orders on 88 Palestinian homes built without difficult-to-get permits - Israel planning controversial renewal project 6. West Bank barrier: Making Palestinian movement between West Bank and Jerusalem harder - Israel says it's for security |
| By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News |
Sales of ivory and a possible ban on trading bluefin tuna top the agenda for the two-week CITES meeting that opens this weekend in Doha, Qatar.
CITES - the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species - will set a precedent if it votes to ban trading in a lucrative fish such as bluefin.
The US and EU back the proposal, but Japan is set against.
Conservation groups are also hoping for increased protection on sharks, coral, polar bears, lizards and amphibians.
African disunity
The ivory and tuna issues are both potentially controversial.
| This is a key conservation moment - whether the governments here will vote for the conservation of bluefin tuna Dr Sue Lieberman Pew Environment Group |
International ivory trading was banned in 1989.
But countries considered to have well-managed stocks of elephants and reliable systems for tracking tusks have three times been allowed to sell consignments from government stockpiles.
Zambia and Tanzania are now seeking permission for a further sale.
But other African nations led by Kenya and Mali want a 20-year ban on all ivory exports. They argue that the legal trade stimulates poaching, which has been on the rise in recent years.
"To permit any step towards further trade in ivory makes no sense whatsoever - it flies in the face of every basic conservation principle and is contrary to the agreement made at the last meeting," said Jason Bell-Leask from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw).
However, the organisation Traffic - which is charged with collecting data on illegal elephant killings and ivory smuggling - maintains there is no proof of a link.
|  The endangered Luristan newt  |
Data from its Elephant Trade Information System (Etis) shows that the rate of seizures of illegal ivory began rising well in 2004, well before the last one-off legal ivory sale was authorised in 2007.
And the previous one-off sale, in 1999, co-incided with a fall in seizures.
Etis manager Tom Milliken argues that African governments wanting to stem the rising ivory tide would be better advised to step up enforcement efforts against poachers and traders.
And China, the principal market for illegal ivory, should live up to its promises to act against smuggling gangs, he says.
Otherwise, he says: "Arguments over the impacts of one-off sales will continue to divert attention away from the real problem: finding ways to stop the flow of illicit ivory at source."
Tuna battles
The chances of CITES voting to ban the international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna increased markedly during the week when - after months of wrangling - the EU decided to give its support.
The bloc includes several nations with tuna fleets in the Mediterranean, the main fishing ground.
| CITES EXPLAINED Threatened organisms listed on three appendices depending on level of risk Appendix 1 - all international trade banned Appendix 2 - international trade monitored and regulated Appendix 3 - trade bans by individual governments, others asked to assist "Uplisting" - moving organism to a more protective appendix; "downlisting" - the reverse Conferences of the Parties (COPs) held every three years CITES administered by UN Environment Programme (Unep) |
Conservation groups argue that the ban is needed because governments involved in the industry have allowed overfishing to such an extent that the species' survival is in some doubt.
They also argue that a pause in fishing will eventually lead to higher catches.
"The goal is not to ban trade indefinitely, but to suspend international trade until the species recovers sufficiently to enable international trade to resume," said Sue Lieberman, director of international policy with the Pew Environment Group.
"This is a key conservation moment - whether the governments here will vote for the conservation of bluefin tuna, or will allow commercial fishery interests to prevail, further causing over-fishing and continued decline of this iconic species," she told BBC News from Doha.
Japan has indicated that it would opt out of a trade ban, as it is entitled to do under CITES rules.
But if all other tuna fishing countries went along with it, there would be no supply of tuna to import.
Conservation groups are urging the EU and US to make sure that other tuna fishing countries, particularly North African states bordering the Mediterranean, do not opt out.
Skin and teeth
The CITES meeting will also consider a US proposal to ban international trade in items originating from polar bears.
Rapid melting of Arctic sea ice in recent decades has placed the polar bear on the Red List of Threatened Species.
 The delicate red and pink corals are highly prized by jewellers |
About 2,000 items are traded internationally each year, including skin, skulls, teeth and claws.
Although this is not considered to be the major threat to the species' survival, the US feels that the trade ban would be a help, and would not intrude on the rights of Arctic indigenous peoples with a history of hunting polar bears for meat and skin.
Other proposals would see trade banned in a number of reptiles and amphibians, including three iguanas from Mexico and the critically endangered Luristan newt of Iran.
Four species of shark are also up for consideration, as are the red and pink Corallium corals from the Mediterranean that are used in the jewellery trade.
Richard.Black-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk
~~~~~~~~~~
Commentary
I didn't know such summits existed, and I'm thrilled that they do. There are animals that need to be protected. I was also very surprised at seeing that Governments like America and the whole bloc of the EU are standing strong to protect weak animals, especially in times like these where greed seems to be the driving force of the world.
I also congratulate Doha, Qatar, for holding these meetings. I went there and it's a very diverse and lovely country.
I felt like i was in America actually, and the diversity at times was sometimes greater in Qatar than in America. The only downside is the country is in the hottest place imaginable. Without Air conditioning, i would have literally gotten heat stroke.
The protesters have vowed to keep up until the government steps down
Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters have gathered in Thailand's capital Bangkok to press the government to step down and hold new elections.
About 40,000 soldiers and police are on the streets in case of trouble.
The "red shirt" demonstrators are mainly supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in 2006.
Many of the protesters have come to the capital from Mr Thaksin's power base in the rural north of Thailand.
They have been making their way to Bangkok since Friday.
The BBC's Rachel Harvey, at the demonstration, says there are about 100,000 protesters.
| Reds over the land call on the government to return power to the people and to dissolve the house immediately Veera Musikapongn Protest leader  |
Red shirt organisers said hundreds of thousands would come.
Many were gathered in front of a stage in central Bangkok to hear their leaders make the demands signalling the official beginning of the protest, says our correspondent.
One of the opposition leaders, Veera Musikapong, told cheering crowds: "Reds over the land call on the government to return power to the people and to dissolve the house immediately. We will hold out here and wait for an answer within 24 hours."
The government of Thailand says it has no intention of standing down.
Organisers have promised a peaceful demonstration, but said that if the government refused to quit they would step up their campaign.
| THAKSIN TIMELINE  2001: Elected prime minister Sept 2006: Ousted in military coup Sept 2006: Corruption investigation begins June 2007: Thaksin family assets frozen Aug 2008: Prosecutors ask top court to seize frozen assets Oct 2008: Sentenced in absentia for conflict of interest in land deal Feb 2010: Court seizes $1.4bn of $2.3bn in contested assets |
The protesters, led by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), say Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had come to power illegitimately with the backing of the military and the Bangkok-based elites.
Riot police and soldiers have been deployed outside Government House and other strategic points.
The military has been given extra powers to impose curfews and restrict numbers at gatherings if necessary.
The last major protests, in April last year, turned violent, with two deaths and dozens of people injured.
But this may be the red shirts' last chance to reverse Thailand's political direction, says our correspondent, with the movement tiring and probably running low on funds.
Thailand has been in political turmoil since 2006 when yellow-shirted anti-Thaksin protesters began demanding the then prime minister step down over corruption accusations.
He was later forced out by a coup, but when his allies came back to power in 2008, his opponents occupied the prime minister's office for three months and seized Bangkok's two main airports for a week.
Mr Thaksin is now living in self-imposed exile in Dubai after receiving a two-year sentence in his absence for abuse of power; his supporters says that case was politically motivated.
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