Bangkok, Thailand ? Tens of thousands of protesters waving Thai flags and holding signs that read, “Give back our country,” rallied Sunday to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who has been accused of corruption and abuse of power.

The protesters, who included busloads of Buddhist monks and nuns, turned out despite Thaksin’s surprise move Friday to dissolve parliament and call snap elections for April 2. Analysts had expected his move would help deflate the opposition’s campaign to oust him.

The peaceful rally was the latest in a series of protests drawing tens of thousands of participants, mostly from the urban elite.

The campaign to dump Thaksin gained momentum last month after his family sold its stake in a telecommunications conglomerate founded by Thaksin to a Singapore state investment firm in a tax-free transaction worth $1.9 billion.