Thai protesters cut power to police headquarters

BANGKOK - Thai opposition protesters cut the electricity supply to the national police headquarters on Thursday, a senior officer said, ignoring a plea from Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to end their rallies.

"Protesters cut the power supply to the National Police Headquarters. Now we are running on a generator," Police Lieutenant General Prawut Thavornsiri told AFP.

A hospital next to the police headquarters in central Bangkok denied reports it had also been affected.

"As of now the Police General Hospital is not affected by the power cut because it uses a different power line than the headquarters. Only the forensic department is affected," said hospital director Jongjet Aojenpong.

The demonstrations are the biggest since mass rallies three years ago, which descended into the kingdom's worst civil strife in decades with more than 90 people killed and nearly 1,900 wounded.

Yingluck easily survived a parliamentary no confidence vote Thursday and urged protesters to end their occupation or blockade of several government ministries.

A crowd estimated to number up to 180,000 joined an opposition rally on Sunday, but turnout has since fallen sharply.