About 150 people including taxi motorcyclists stage a protest in front of ‘The Nation’ offices yesterday, demanding an end to what they called distorted news.

The protesters arrived at The Nation's offices in a double-decker air-conditioned bus while the taxi motorcyclists rode their own vehicles.

"We want to call for The Nation to report only the truth - no more distorting the news - for the sake of the country," one of the protesters said through a loudspeaker. Some waved banners that said "The Nation should cease reporting inaccurate news."

Many claimed they were subscribers to the English-language newspaper. While the vests of the motorcyclists indicated they were from Samrong Nua (North Samrong) tambon and a large number of the protesters said they were from the Samrong area, their leader described them as Samut Prakan people.

"Don't say we're from Samrong, say we're from Samut Prakan," she said. Her megaphone had a Thai Rak Thai logo.

Some protesters interviewed by The Nation reporters could not give examples of the news they claimed was distorted.

They subsequently gave a wreath and an effigy to representatives of the

paper. They had planned to burn the

effigy, but changed their minds.

A 14-year-old girl who came with the group asked a Nation reporter what the protest was for. She had simply joined the others on the bus from Samrong, and asked if the group was for or against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

She said she was glad they were in favour of him as she liked Thaksin very much, adding that the Bt30 healthcare scheme was very useful and her family had used the "Gold Card" many times.

When an elderly woman was asked if she knew what sort of business The Nation did, she said it made batteries.

Two protesters engaged in a brief fight and one of them used a glass bottle to damage a vehicle parked inside the Nation Multimedia Group compound.

They were escorted out of the compound by security staff. Other protesters claimed the two were not with them.