Bangkok  - Thousands of protestors on Sunday ended a midnight demonstration at government headquarters in Bangkok after lodging a list of demands from the current administration and setting a 15-day deadline.

An estimated 30,000 Red Shirts, a movement tied to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, marched on Government House late Saturday night, breaking through police barriers to reach the gates of the compound before midnight.

The scene was reminiscent of an earlier siege on Government House by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), also known as the Yellow Shirts, in late August. That resulted in the occupation of the seat of administration for three months and the eventual fall of the government.

The PAD was a staunchly anti-Thaksin movement, while United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), is pro-Thaksin and opposes the newly appointed government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Unlike the PAD, the UDD do not have the backing of Bangkok's political elite, which includes the military, so their protests have been more constrained than the PAD demonstrations, which culminated in the seizure and closure of Bangkok's two airports from November 26 to December 3.

The UDD leaders Saturday issued four demands including that the government prosecute the PAD leaders for closing the airports and causing millions of dollars in losses to the economy.

They also demanded the government dismiss Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, who was a PAD leader, and to revoke the 2007 constitution and dissolve the government.

Abhisit, who was in Geneva attending the World Economic Forum this weekend, did not even mention the protest in his weekly television show Sunday, choosing to concentrate on the economic challenges facing the kingdom instead.

Abhisit met with several prime ministers at the forum in an attempt to win back investment confidence in in Thailand, which has been undermined by three years of unprecedented political upheaval in the kingdom.

Former premier Thaksin was toppled by a military coup in September 19, 2006, ushering in a military-appointed government that was unpopular both in Thailand and abroad.

Although Thailand returned to democracy with the election of December 23, 2007, the elected pro-Thaksin government was staunchly opposed by anti-Thaksin groups united in the PAD and elements of the country's political elite - the military, established business groups and the aristocracy.

Thaksin, a billionaire businessman who introduced populist policies to Thailand's entrenched political system, has proven a divisive figure in Thai society as it gropes towards a more democratic, representative system.

He has been in self-exile since August, but continues to be a financier of the UDD movement and a powerful figure behind the main opposition Phuea Thai Party. (dpa)