RED SHIRT protesters took three police as hostages today when the officers arrived at a Bangkok hotel to arrest a red leader. The red leader escaped down a rope. The forewarned reds took police weapons and handcuffs and carried them all back, along with the red leader, to the reds' downtown headquarters. Elsewhere in Bangkok, 5000 people, some clad in pink, rallied in support of PM Abhisit Vejajjiva.


A MAJOR confrontation was developing in Bangkok today after Thailand's Deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban announced that security forces had surrounded a Bangkok hotel where some of the red shirt protest leaders are holed up.

However, his premature announcement tipped off the red shirts, who immediately encircled the hotel, the SC Park.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is due to go on national television to make an important speech at 1pm.

Phuket red leader Suthorn Toema told Phuketwan that the red shirts had been planning to go to the NBT television station today to complain about what they said was a one-sided pro-government presentation of news. The ICT Ministry was also listed for a visit, he said, because the ministry had brought down red shirt websites.

Khun Sunthorn said about 10 red shirt supporters had come from Phuket after the Songkran Festival to reinforce numbers in Bangkok.

On Phuket, protesters representing the ''People Who Love Democracy'' were planning a visit to the Third Navy base at Cape Panwa on Phuket's east coast to give money in support of the families of the soldiers who were killed and injured in Saturday's violence.

Five soldiers were among 24 deaths attributed to the clash between troops and police and red shirts.