Thailand PM pelted with shoes

A CROWD of angry protesters threw shoes and plastic bottles at the Thai prime minister's entourage after cornering him in an underground parking lot Wednesday. He escaped unharmed.

Somchai Wongsawat's security agents and police shielded him and hustled him into a waiting car, which sped off in a motorcade.

The protest was staged by more than 100 employees of the state-owned telecom operator TOT during a visit by Somchai to their headquarters outside the capital, Bangkok.

'It was not a serious protest,' Mr Somchai later told reporters.

He described the incident as a 'colorful protest.' It marked the first time in Thailand's months of political crisis that state employees have come into direct confrontation with the prime minister.

It was not, however, the first time that Mr Somchai has had to make a quick getaway.

On October 7, Mr Somchai escaped a violent protest outside Parliament by climbing over a back fence to safety. Riot police outside the building fired tear gas to disperse rowdy protesters, leaving hundreds injured and two dead.

Wednesday's rally started outside the TOT headquarters, on the grounds of the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology.

Mr Somchai's motorcade detoured into an underground parking lot to avoid the crowd shouting 'Somchai, Murderer!' in reference to the two fatalities at the Oct 7 protest.

Protesters swarmed around him in the parking lot, waving noisy plastic clappers shaped like giant hands.

After holding a meeting inside the building, Mr Somchai exited through the main entrance, where more protesters had gathered. Some hurled clappers at his entourage and plastic water bottles and shoes.