Red-shirt woman gets in PM's face

About 10 red shirts - armed with foot-shaped hand-clappers, banners and wreaths - shouted from about 100 metres away from where Abhisit was sitting. They called on him to dissolve the House and return his prime minister's badge.

Police failed in asking the group to stop, so they lined up to block the demonstrators from approaching Abhisit. The protesters said they would follow him wherever he goes.

A woman did manage to get close enough to Abhisit when he was getting in his car to clap her noise-makers in his face.

"Abhisit draft dodger, illegal prime minister," she told him.

Abhisit's guards took her away without him replying to her outburst.

It is normal that protesters need to express their feelings, he said.

While he must not get careless, he does not fear physical threats and does not need tighter security, he said. After writing a season's greeting for Their Majesties the King and Queen at the Grand Palace, he and his family left for a brief holiday in Krabi. He is due to return to Bangkok tomorrow.