The government policy debate parliamentary session opened at Thailand's Foreign Ministry in Bangkok around Tuesday noon after anti-government protests forced the new Cabinet and legislators to delay the session for one day and move its venue from the traditional Parliament to the Ministry.

The session was originally scheduled to start on Monday morning and last two days but postponed to Tuesday morning after thousands of demonstrators in red, led by Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD) which support former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, besieged the Parliament compound since early Monday.

The protesters' blockade of accesses to the compound forced Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his cabinet members, who were sworn in on Dec. 22 and due to have its policy statement debated in the Parliament before Jan. 6, move to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to start the delivery at around 11:25 a.m. (0425 GMT).

(Xinhua News Agency December 30, 2008)