a state of emergency to five more provinces

a state of emergency to five more provinces Earlier Sunday, the government offered safe passage for any protesters who wished to leave a downtown site where they have camped for six weeks, and a protest leader, Nattawut Saikua, said they would be free to leave. Mr. Nattawut also offered to withdraw militant fighters from the streets and negotiate if the government also called a cease-fire and withdrew its troops. That offer suggested a closer relationship with the violent wing of the protests than Mr. Nattawut had acknowledged.

But he put forward a condition that was immediately rejected by the government, insisting that any talks be mediated by the United Nations. Such a condition would have legitimized the protesters as an internationally recognized party in talks.

A military spokesman said that the government was prepared to evacuate women, children, the elderly and any others who wanted to leave; a nongovernment group offered to help. “I’d like to tell parents who brought their children to the demonstration to leave immediately if you decide to leave,” Mr. Nattawut said. “But I will stay here.” He added: “If you choose to stay and resist, you should take your children to a safe place.”

Another leader, Jatuporn Prompan, said he was ready to fight to the death. Many protesters at the site also insisted late on Sunday that they would stay, and protesters have warned of a wider uprising if they are attacked.

On Sunday the government extended a state of emergency to five more provinces, in addition to Bangkok and 17 provinces that were already covered.

“You are being used as tools,” the prime minister said Sunday on television, addressing protesters and suggesting that they were being manipulated by people bent on fomenting violence. Broadcasts like this, however, do not reach the controlled airwaves of the protest site.

Attacks on such crucial infrastructure elements as electricity transmission towers, an aviation fuel storage depot, banks and military installations have taken place in concert with the protests over the past two months. Some analysts see an invisible hand behind the protests and believe these attacks, in conjunction Embroidered Fabricwith the protests, were part of a campaign to destabilize the country.