Anti-government protesters in the Thai capital Bangkok have stormed and briefly occupied the grounds of the parliament building.

They rammed the main entrance with a lorry and forced their way in. The red-shirted protesters withdrew after about 20 minutes. They later showed weapons and tear gas they reportedly took from riot police officers. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva fled the parliament building before the protest and is hiding at an army base.

The protesters have been occupying the commercial centre of Bangkok since Saturday to lend force to their demands for early elections. The protesters say the government is elitist and undemocratic; most of the red-shirts are supporters of the ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.