Thai protesters call for talks after clashes

Thai anti-government protesters say they are willing to hold talks with the government, but they are still calling on the prime minister to dissolve parliament and call new elections.

The demonstrators, dubbed Red Shirts,believe thatPrime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's government is illegitimate.

The protesters whohad previously called for an immediate dissolution of parliament said Friday that the prime minister should dissolve parliamentin thenext 30 days.

Protest leaders saidthey issued the one-month deadline in reaction to a string of violent clashes around their protests site in Bangkok, including a series of grenade attacks Thursday that killed one person and wounded as many as 86.

Jaran Ditthapichai,one of theRed Shirt leaders, said the protest group had already held unofficial talks with the government. He claimed the government had privately expressed a willingness to compromise, suggesting it could dissolve the government in three months.

Thai government officials have yet to comment on the proposal.

The CBC's Michel Cormier has been talking to Red Shirt protesters in Bangkok, and he said there is a sense "that there may be light at the end of this tunnel."

The head of Thailand's armed forces said Friday that he did not intend to try to clear the protesters out of the city, and Cormier said many people in Bangkok are hopeful that theRed Shirts'offer to hold talks could lead to an end of the demonstrations that have plagued the capital for weeks.

The late-night attacks involved five M-79 grenades shot from a location near the site where the anti-government protesters have been camping out,government officials said.

Passengers flee station

The first three blaststore throughan elevated train station on Silom Road, known as Thailand's Wall Street. Soldiers who were stationed in the area helped passengers flee the station after the explosions.

Two later blasts struck an intersection filled withbystanders and a group of demonstrators who support the government and have been calling on the Red Shirts to end their protests.

Nearby elevated train and subway stations were closed Friday and the head of a key security agency, Tharit Pengdit, urged thepublic to avoid the area near the protests. He warned that anyone involved in "terrorism" will face the death penalty.

The Red Shirts, who are mostlyfrom rural areas, have been rallying in Bangkok since March 12 and have staged a number of dramatic protests.

In mid-March, the protesters started collecting donated blood, which was later tossed at government buildings. The protesters have also swarmed the prime minister's home and stormed parliament, forcing several government officials to escape by helicopter.

The demonstrators arein violation of several laws, including a state of emergency.