PHUKET protest leader Sunthorn Toema tonight welcomed the declaration of a state of emergency in Bangkok and said it meant the stand-off in Thailand's capital between demonstrators and the government had entered a new phase.

''It's good to reach this point,'' he said. ''We have been waiting for a long time. Our leaders will react and tell us what is going to happen next.

''We will do whatever they ask, and quickly.''

Khun Sunthorn, who sold his car on Phuket and has spent half the proceeds - 250,000 baht - on sustaining protesters, said he was prepared to stay on as long as it took to bring down the government and force a new election.

He said he was in the frontline today when protesters stormed into the Parliament compound, forcing a sitting to end prematurely as MPs scaled walls to get away.

At 6pm came the Prime Minister's reaction - a declaration of a state of emergency that empowers police and the army to move if necessary against gatherings of five people or more.

The lengthy protest enters its fifth week on Saturday, if it lasts that long. Leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship called on all red-shirt supporters to get together on Friday and try to topple the government.

''We have nothing to fear from a state of emergency,'' said Khun Sunthorn. ''It means nothing. We are prepared to face death if necessary.''

Dwindling numbers of red shirt supporters remain on Bangkok's streets, although still in thousands, sufficient numbers to create traffic chaos and to test the patience of Bangkok residents.

About 500 red shirts joined the Bangkok protest from March 12. About 50 now remain on Bangkok's streets.

While Phuket tourist arrival and departure numbers remain strong, the Deputy Secretary to the Prime Minister, former Phuket Provincial Administration Chief Anchalee Vanich Tephabutra, said today that Thailand's visitors had dropped by 30 percent overall.

Forward bookings for the coming monsoon season were also dropping, especially in the sensitive markets of China, Korea and Japan, she said.

However, direct flights to Phuket have enabled the holiday island to continue to be an attractive destination

Both sides in the Bangkok protest have so far managed to avoid violence, except for sporadic small bombs and grenades that have mostly been aimed at government buildings and banks.