A drone has been deployed over the streets of Bangkok to give a birds-eye view of the tens of thousands of protesters taking to the streets to protest against the government.
Most normal Monday afternoons in Thailand’s capital would show the streets lined with the usual hectic city centre traffic.
But blockades positioned across the Asian metropolis have ground the flow of vehicles to a halt as flag-wielding protesters armed with placards and banners gather.
The drone, which can be seen in a YouTube video, moves along Phayathai Road, passing the eight-storey MBK shopping mall to its left.
Noise from the crowds can be heard as the drone hovers the length of the jam-packed road, and as it approaches the Pathumwan intersection, one of seven intersections occupied by the demonstrations, the noise reaches a crescendo as the drone picks up the thunder of of chants and whistles.
Hordes of protesters spill out from the main stretch and into the surrounding streets, drowning out the noise from the skytrains above.
As many as 170,000 people have taken part in the demonstrations, according to Lt. Gen. Paradon Pattanathabut, the nation's security chief. 18,000 security personnel were deployed to manage the epic turnout.
Protestor threats have pushed many of the Thai government ministries and departments out of their palatial office spaces to satellite offices across the capital.
The demonstration organised by the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) protest group, condemns Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and is calling upon a complete overhaul of her government.
In an attempt to appease the mobs, Ms. Yingluck offered to postpone the elections, due to take place on 2 February. However, former deputy prime minister and now leader of opposition party PDRC, Suthep Thaugsuban, declined the offer.
Addressing thousands of protesters on Monday, Thaugsuban said: “Whoever is thinking about negotiations, compromise, hoping for a win-win situation, a win for both sides; I tell you now there is no win-win, there can only be one winner."
It’s believed that the vote will not satisfy the protesters, who believe Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand’s former Prime Minister and brother of current Thai leader, Yingluck, continues to run Thailand from exile after her was ousted as part of a coup in 2006.
Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, said in a previous statement: "The movement will keep on fighting. Our goal is to uproot the Thaksin regime.
"Although the House is dissolved and there will be new elections, the Thaksin regime is still in place"