Protesters in Thailand have stormed and briefly occupied a Thaicom satellite station north of Bangkok.

The action was a protest against a government decision to block an opposition television channel which was allegedly used to incite the population. Earlier, the army threatened to crack down hard on the red-shirted protesters should they decide to storm the satellite station. In the event, security forces used tear gas and water cannons, but were unable to stop the protesters.  

A court has issued another 17 warrants for the arrests of protest leaders who allegedly violated the state of emergency declared on Wednesday. The new warrants come after seven others which were issued on Thursday following the storming of the grounds of the parliament building a day before. No arrests have been made so far.

The government has deployed an additional 33,000 police officers and soldiers in and around the capital. The protesters, supporters of ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, have sworn to continue their protests until Prime Minister Abhisit resigns and new elections are called.