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Though DAAD leaders ordered the mob to abandon the area by 5pm, a section of Rajvithee Road, about a kilometre east of Victory Monument, was still a no man's land with a few dozen red-shirt protesters, a dozen taxis and a similar number of motorcycles blocking the virtually empty road. The atmosphere was calm but surreal.

The organic leader who emerged there was Noi (not her real nickname), a woman in her late 30s working at a ministry and with a PhD from an Ivy League university in the United States.

She hadn't slept much the previous night and spent most of her time defending her new turf on day two of the protest. They had done so on their own initiative and without orders from DAAD leaders, but were now being told to retreat.

"This is our turf, and we won't retreat yet!" she told a dozen other red shirts.

"Please carry out your duty politely," she reminded her troops, most of whom she had met just a day ago.

Noi then rode on a protester's motorcycle to Victory Monument to hold an emergency meeting with other progressive reds about what to do about the trio of DAAD leaders, namely Nattawut Saikua, Veera Musikapong and Jatuporn Promphan.

She labelled the three as "authoritarian" and who didn't even listen to other DAAD leaders like Jakrapob Penkair, who had got into an argument with them two days ago.

Noi and her peers wanted to negotiate with one of the three to tell them that they wanted to stay on.

She doesn't trust them and said the three could even be taking ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra for a ride, making money out of leading the protest - or worse still secretly striking a deal with the old elite, whom the red shirts are up against.

She said the trio hadn't attempted to send food or any assistance to the area on Thursday night. The place was dark and they encountered attacks by what she believes to be members of the anti-Thaksin People's Alliance for Democracy.

Noi wants to see an end to old elite's monopoly of Thai politics, with a welfare state and equality for every citizen.

"Well, we want to use Thaksin [to achieve our goal], and let me ask who else [amongst the politicians] dares to reveal [the manipulation of politics]. Some say Thaksin is using the [red] people but the people don't care if it's Thaksin or not. They no longer want to be under the yoke of the old elite. They can't bear it any longer."

Talk about Thaksin being corrupt and abusive while he was prime minister sends Noi ballistic.

"And what about the [2006] coup? Do they care about what ordinary people think?" she said.

At a McDonald's next to Victory Monument, Noi met with three other well-educated reds, who called their group "Red Move".

One of the three was very upset about the DAAD leaders calling off the seizure of Victory Monument and said there were many messages on the Internet lambasting the trio.

"We don't need to accept everything they say," shouted the man.

The group wanted to declare their existence to the press and for the world to know about them, but it was too late as by 6pm, as the tens of thousands of protesters began melting away.

"People have been fooled time and again," Noi said bitterly from the restaurant, as the protesters left on foot and by lorry.

At 7.04pm, she called this Nation reporter, sounding panicky and under stress.

"We're still blocking the road, and the cops are coming, over!" she said.