Four protest leaders were today held on remand in prisons in Chiang Mai and Pathum Thani provinces, after courts rejected their bail applications, at the request of the police, citing their previous records of involvement in protests and claims that their release would allow them to incite public unrest.

Human rights lawyer Anont Nampa and Praset Khrutharote,who were flown to Chiang Mai to be questioned by the police there, were escorted to the provincial prison to be held for 12 days.

In Tanyaburi district of Pathum Thani province, Ms. Panasaya“Rung” Sitthijirawattanakul and Nutchanon Pairote are being held in prison after the Tanyaburi court rejected their bail applications.

Another protest leader, Pai Daodin, was remanded to Bangkok Special Prison for 12 days.

Meanwhile, five opposition parties, led by the Pheu Thai Party, issued a joint statement calling on the Government to lift the state of emergency immediately, claiming that the current political situation is not serious enough to justify such an extreme measure.

They also demanded the immediate release of all the protestersin custody, claiming that they merely exercised their rights, and that Parliament be convened for a special session to discuss a political end to the conflict.

At Rajprasong intersection in Bangkok, which has been occupied by thousands of protesters since 4pm today, a state of calm standoff remains between the police and the protesters. At about 7.30pm, some protesters broke through a steel barricade that blocks the sky walk linking the BTS with Central World shopping mall.

A retractable steel shutter, at the front of Gaysorn Village Mall,was also dismantled by the protesters.