Bangkok - Protest leaders camping outside Government House in Bangkok vowed Thursday to extend their demonstration until the government is dissolved.

The leaders of the so-called Red Shirts said since none of their demands had been answered they had no choice but to increase pressure on the government.

Bangkok  - Thousands of protestors surrounded Government House in Bangkok for the second day Wednesday as others demonstrated outside the foreign ministry calling for the resignation of Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.

The protests organized by the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) were designed to embarrass the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva before its hosts the 14th Summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Friday to Sunday in Cha-am, 130 kilometres south-west of Bangkok.

But they did not prevent Abhisit from entering Government House Wednesday morning, although the weekly cabinet meeting was moved to Cha-am Tuesday.

Bangkok - Some 1,307 companies went bankrupt last month in Thailand, up 53.7 per cent from the same period of 2008, the Department of Business Development announced Tuesday.

Most of the bankrupt firms were in the construction sector, real estate and services, while almost half of them were in Bangkok, the department revealed.

Like most export-oriented Asian economies, Thailand has already been hard-hit by the global financial crisis that has reduced demand in major importing countries such as the US, Europe and Japan.

Bangkok  - Thousands of Thai protestors marched on Government House in Bangkok Tuesday in an effort to highlight the alleged illegitimacy of the current administration days before it hosts a South-East Asian summit.

An estimated 15,000 followers of the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) - also called the Red Shirts - joined a march from Sanam Luang (The Royal Grounds) to Government House, the seat of the administration, about 3 kilometres away.

Bangkok  - The value of Thailand's exports tumbled 26.5 per cent in January from the same month a year ago while imports dropped 37.6 per cent, reflecting a sharp downturn in the global economy, the Commerce Ministry said Thursday.

Thai exports for January amounted to 10.5 billion dollars while imports fell to 9.1 billion dollars.

"Exports fell in every sector," Commerce Ministry Permanent Secretary Siripol Yodmuangcharoen said.

Bangkok  - Thailand's gold prices hit an historic high of 16,500 baht (465.40 dollars) per 15.2 grams Thursday, in tandem with rising prices for the precious metal on the world market.

"This is the highest gold price in the history of our market," Gold Traders Association chairman Jitti Tangsithpakdi said.

Thursday was the fourth consecutive day for local gold prices to rise to historic highs, starting at 15,950 baht per one baht weight (15.2 grams) on Monday.

Gold is commonly sold in jewelry form in Thailand, mostly at gold shops in Bangkok's Chinatown district, at prices slightly below the world market's as the gold content is not 100 per cent.