Thailand ? Thousands of demonstrators occupying the Thai prime minister’s office compound beat back an effort by riot police to remove them today and vowed to stay until the government resigns.

Police, meanwhile, said they will seek arrest warrants for eight protest leaders from the People’s Alliance for Democracy as well as a court order to force the protesters to leave the compound known as Government House.

Alliance protesters, who accuse Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej of corruption and of being a proxy for his disgraced predecessor, have camped in a huge garden outside Government House offices in since scaling fences there Tuesday afternoon. They have remained peaceful and have not tried to enter any government buildings.

About 500 helmeted riot police forced their way into the compound overnight, briefly clashing with protesters. But the police later backed off from the confrontation, while establishing themselves inside the compound and mingling with protesters at the perimeter.