Pro-Government Thai "Red Shirts" Vow to Hit Streets And Protect Government From Protesters

Brown shirts?

The red-shirted supporters of Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said on Wednesday they could take to the streets to protect the government from protesters who have forced her to call a snap election, setting the scene for a possible confrontation.

The warning by the "red shirts" highlights the risks ahead as anti-government protesters keep pushing to eradicate the political influence of Yingluck's brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, a hero in the rural north and northeast who was toppled by the military in 2006.