THE Thai parliament was forced to close down today after thousands of anti-government protesters managed to cut off electricity to the building as they called for a "final showdown".

A squad of riot police had to retreat to their headquarters when activists, many singing and dancing in a sea of yellow shirts worn in tribute to the Thai monarch, surrounded the gates of parliament in Bangkok. Nearby, dozens of other police in riot gear retreated inside their headquarters as demonstrators pushed past a metal barricade and blocked off the street with razor wire.

The protest alliance, which calls itself the People's Alliance for Democracy, has been occupying the grounds of the prime minister's office in the capital for three months.

They say the administration is the puppet of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a 2006 military coup after being accused of corruption and abuse of power. Today's protest spread across a much wider area of the capital than earlier rallies. Protest leader Somsak Kosaisuk said outside parliament: "We'll keep doing this until they quit."

There were reports that the government had set up a makeshift office at Bangkok's former international airport.

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