>> the red shirts are the supporters of thaksin shinawatra , the former prime minister. his sister is now the prime minister. they are from the north and northeast and also people in bangkok itself, the poor in bangkok. the yellow shirts claim they are pro-democratic. the present manifestation of that is what some call the people's's democratic reform council, which is number -- neither of the people or -- it is a middle-class establishment of bangkok. behind this political conflict, we have a social cleavage, a quite deep social cleavage. >> what kicked off this conflict? >> it began with an attempt by yingluck shinawatra to have an amnesty bill pass by the parliament, which would have allowed her brother, who is in self-imposed exile in dubai, to return. it would have amnestied number of people from the opposition democratic party. that was rejected by the senate. the senate is partly appointed. she had to withdraw that bill. that was the pretext under which these demonstrations began. >> the protesters this time are very well organized. they say they are ready to stay

. >> no matter if led by the thaksin shinawatra family.ing the two sides closer together is a main challenge for the thailand government. >> a court in bangladesh sentenc sentenced a member of an opposition party. they were found responsible for smuggling weapons to a rebel group in neighbouring india in 2004. in a separate trial they face charms of war crimes allegedly committed during bangladesh's 1971 independence war. >> ukraine's parliament passed a bill offering amnesty to protesters if they stop occupying government buildings, it's the third major concession. if may not be enough. many want the president to resign. nick spicer has the latest. >> they voted through an amnesty bill with an ultimate um. it gave protesters 15 days to unoccupy government buildings. >> if they press on peaceful protesters, this will trigger another spiral of violence. >> there were four different draft bills of the amnesty law and delay and argument. pro-government toll tirns have their way. >> this is ukraine house, one of several buildings occupied by p

protesters want to derail elections and removed prime minister thaksin shinawatra. >> more on the toptory. the referendum in egypt joins me on set. he joins me from the university in doha. there was a lot of talk about how important the turn out is for the referendum. what kind of environment are egyptians going to the polls in today. >> i think part of the problem is the way that this vote has been characterised, especially within the international media is it's looked at in the context of previous votes through 2011 and "12. the problem is it's not the free and open environment. what we are looking at since june 30th last year is an authoritarian regime trying to take hold and solidify and establish itself. it's vulnerable. it led a coup against a popularly elected president. whether people agree or not all the steps taken have increased the authoritarian character of the temporary government. the context in which the vote takes place is one of wanton violence against protesters, repress of every independent social and political movement within the country, not just the muslim broth

thaksin shinawatra also served as prime minister until he was overthrown in 2006. >> translator: we will keep fighting until we win. demonstrators have set up a stage in an intersection in front of a shopping center. thousands of them are sitting in the area to block traffic. the government has deployed about 20,000 security officers. the unrest in thailand has left eight people dead, and more than 480 others injured since november. the protests are having an impact on tourism. authorities at bangkok suvarnabhumi airport are calling on travelers to arrive four hours before their flights. passengers crowded the departure lobby from early monday. >> translator: i arrived here at the airport for my flight extra early. i didn't get enough sleep, so i really need some rest. >> officials say there have been no major problems so far. but some airlines have cut the number of flights in and out of the thai capital. >>> human rights activists say fierce fighting between rival anti-government groups in syria has left almost 700 people dead this month. forces loyal to president bashar al assad are t

thaksin shinawatra served as thai leader, too, until he was overthrown in 2006. the unrest forced yingluck to call an election set for february 2nd. but the protesters say political reforms have to come before another vote. they're demanding she step down immediately. >>> previously many travelers shunned japan as a tourism destination. that was due to the higher prices and difficulty in obtaining visas. but, recent government and private industry efforts may be paying off. more visitors are coming through haneda and other airports here, and ron madison has the latest on that. >> we've been talking a lot about this on our program. government officials have really been trying to ramp up those tourism numbers. they hit their first major milestone and they're looking for even bigger numbers. japanese government has really been trying for years to turn the country into a major tourism nation. an friday the tourism said the government achieved its goal of aattracting 10 million foreign visitors a year for the first time in 2013. ageagesy officials said about 10 millio

prime minister yingluck and her brother, the south exiled ex-prime minister thaksin shinawatra, still have strong support in rural parts of northern and northeastern thailand. the anti-thaksin side relies mostly on the urban middle class for support. despite the current state of emergency, the protesters are going nowhere, and are sticking to their demand that next month's general election be postponed. they also say deep reforms are necessary before any poll can be held. however if the government decides to use force to crack down on the protest movement, the potential for even greater unrest is clear to see. that's it for update. i'm dhra dhirakaosal in bangkok. >>> a prominent chinese human rights activist has gone on trial in beijing for his role in anti-corruption protests. xu jiyong is charged with gathering crowds to disrupt public order. xu is the founder of the new citizen's movement which started last year. it encourages people to get involved in politics. many people in the movement have been detained for taking part in demonstrations. they have demanded the disclosure of a

she is being called a proxy for thaksin shinawatra. >> a lot of supporters of yingluck shinawatra would want her to take more action against the radicals in bangkok. yingluck shinawatra's party was democratically elected. she should be allowed to do the thing she was elected for. >> the northern part of the country enjoyed expansion and tourism. the red shirts want that to continue and their home town family to rule in bangkok. keeping with the family tradition yingluck shinawatra's nephew is running for a seat in parliament. the campaign is not fallen popularly. it's for everybody who loves democracy. for five or 100 years, democracy. >> thais in the north are eager to enter the job market but are concerned about decisions. i believe both sides love the country the same. >> no matter if led by a member of the home-town shinawatra family for the opposition, bringing the two sides together will be a challenge for the government for years to come. >> a snow storm hit the southern united states leaving six dead. three states declared emergencies closing roads and airports. alan fisher with

he accused the government of being under the control of exiled former leader thaksin shinawatra prime minister's brother. but signs main job of her recent spate of violent incidents involving grenades and firearms that the wounded dozens of protests. meanwhile the government seems determined to see the thai national election. you want to treat a second. officials say the crisis to test result the chemical. he said he was unaware that gesture was offensive. the english football association charge and france striker nick was a no cut over his canal salutes during a premier league soccer match. tribute to his friend controversial satirist due today. this is the gst is being difficult ballistic station team and use it described by some as an indigenous he still eats like a milk a so called canal symbol was described as an aggravated breach of rules of the references to ethnic origin race religion or belief. the problem and now faces a minimum flight match suspension. anelka has until thursday evening to respond to the charges the celebration called the french strike his first goal for wes