Opposition media blocked in Thailand

BANGKOK - Thailand blocked opposition websites and TV channels on Thursday and the prime minister scrapped an overseas visit a day after a state of emergency was declared to quell nearly a month of mass protests.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva called off a one-day trip to Vietnam for a Southeast Asian leaders summit, as tension remained high, with protesters scuffling with riot police outside a crucial satellite broadcast station and vowing defiance.

Despite the decree, the red-shirted supporters of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra ignored orders to leave the capital's main shopping district and promised their biggest rally yet on Friday after briefly storming parliament this week.