**Protests in several provinces and a late-night blast in Bangkok deepened the sense of crisis as Thailand’s political stand-off continued.**In the capital, a grenade attack on the home of a law-maker allied to the ruling coalition injured eight people.
Outside Bangkok, red-shirt protesters were reported to have blocked roads to prevent police reinforcing colleagues.
The red-shirts have been camped out in Bangkok since 14 March. On Sunday the PM rejected a new offer of talks.
The reds want the government to step down and call fresh elections. On Friday they gave a 30-day window for the government to dissolve parliament - a shift from their demand for immediate dissolution.
But Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva appeared on television on Sunday with the army chief to reject the red-shirts’ offer.
“There must not be a precedent that allows intimidation to bring about political change,” he said.
Regional protests
The stand-off began when red-shirt protesters occupied part of Bangkok’s historic district.
They have since moved to the commercial district and currently occupy a swathe of the city stretching south to the business district, living behind highly-fortified barricades.
An attempt by the government to clear one area on 10 April left 25 people dead and hundreds injured.
Grenade attacks last week that killed another person and injured dozens of commuters further raised tensions in the capital.
In his address on Sunday, Mr Abhisit promised that Bangkok’s commercial district would be cleared of protesters but said “the process, the measures, how and when it will be done we cannot disclose because it depends on several things”.
Protest leaders have told followers to take off their red shirts so that they are less visible to security forces if a crack-down comes.
Early on Monday the situation in Bangkok was said to be uneasy but calm.
But late on Sunday, a grenade was hurled at a guard post near the home of Banharn Silapa-Archa, a former prime minister whose Chart Thai Pattana party is part of the current governing coalition. At least 8 people were hurt.
Around the country, several confrontations between police and protesters were reported.
In Udon Thani, in the north-east, protesters blocked a major highway and prevented a convoy of police from reaching Bangkok.
Roadblocks were also set up in Nong Kai province and to the north of Bangkok, again aimed at police heading to the Thai capital.
Thai media quoted a red-shirt leader as saying that supporters in provinces outside Bangkok had been told to prevent police from travelling to reinforce colleagues.
The red-shirts - including many who back ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra - believe that the current government is illegitimate. They want Mr Abhisit to call fresh elections - something he has so far refused to do.
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
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