Asia, Thailand, Bangkok, While about 2000 Red Shirts remained at their protest site, army began preparing for the final assault. Soldiers cleared the alleys and streets surrounding the site at government house. The reactions of the locals differed; some applauded the approaching soldiers, while others disapproved of the crackdown. The assault though was cancelled at the last moment after Veera Musikapong, one of the main Red Shirt leaders, declared from the stage that the Red Shirts would stop their protest and retreat from their protest site. 14/4/2009, ┬й2009, Nick Nostitz/Agentur Focus