Thai Protests Break Up

Anti-government protesters have begun to disperse in Bangkok following orders from their leaders, the BBC reports. Thousands of protesters have ended their 3-week siege of the country's seat of government and some protest leaders have surrendered to authorities. After two deaths yesterday, leaders say they urged their followers to leave the area because they feared further bloodshed as troops moved in.

The protesters "really want to fight and sacrifice themselves so we wanted to prevent a catastrophe," one leader said. "We are not surrendering, we are just dispersing the gathering because we have done nothing wrong." Protesters vowed to continue seeking the ouster of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, although the end of the standoff is widely seen as a major victory after a few days where his power seemed to be crumbling.
(More Thai protesters stories.)