Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva wants two presents for his birthday - one for Thailand to be a peaceful country; the other for Thais to be happy.

family gave food offerings to nine monks of Wat Daowadung to mark his 45th birthday anniversary yesterday.

He said his daughter Prang gave him a panda stuffed-doll and his son Pannasit a birthday card. His wife's gift was a music system.

Among Cabinet members and others who came to congratulate Abhisit on his birthday, former Chart Thai Party leader Banharn Silapa-Archa had former deputy party leader Somsak Prissanananthakul present him with a bouquet of flowers.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said he had nothing to give Abhisit except his best wishes.

Meanwhile, the red shirts in Nakhon Ratchasima got together in black in front of the monument of Ya Mo to reject the Abhisit administration, vowing to continue their anti-government protests till the end. The group then rallied at the local provincial hall

Abhisit shrugged off the red-shirts' protest - with its mourning rally and wearing black for his birthday - saying he had an open mind. "They can do anything they want but the government has the duty to prevent them from staging any move that would adversely affect the country's institutions,'' he said.