BANGKOK, THAILAND - Hundreds of Thai protesters descended on a major Asian summit on Friday in the latest twist in the country's political turmoil since Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted as premier in a 2006 coup.

The army toppled Thaksin after a street campaign by demonstrators backed by power centres in the palace, military and bureaucracy, sparking three years of protest and counter-protest that has destabilised the country.

Here is a timeline of major events:

September 19: Months of protests by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a self-proclaimed royalist movement that dresses in yellow, lead to a bloodless military coup that ousts twice-elected Thaksin.

-- 2007 --

December 23: Allies of Thaksin, who is in exile, win first post-coup elections.

-- 2008 --

February 28: Thaksin returns to Thailand.

May 25: PAD relaunches protests as the government moves to amend constitution brought in under military rule.

August 11: Thaksin and his wife again flee to avoid a corruption trial. In October a court sentences Thaksin in absentia to two years in prison.

August 26: PAD protesters occupy the prime minister's offices in Bangkok. They stay there until December.

September 9: Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, a Thaksin ally, is forced out after a court rules he illegally accepted payment for hosting TV cooking shows.

September 17: Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law, is elected as PM.

October 7: Two people are killed and 500 wounded as police clash with PAD supporters outside parliament.

November 20-22: Two PAD protesters killed in grenade attack at Government House.

November 24: Thousands of PAD supporters surround parliament as leaders call for a "final battle" to avenge grenade attacks.

November 25: PAD supporters occupy Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi international airport, stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers. They take Don Mueang domestic airport two days later.

December 2: Constitutional Court dissolves the pro-Thaksin People Power Party over vote fraud and bans Somchai from politics for five years. The PAD announce they will end their airport blockade.

December 15: Abhisit Vejjajiva wins parliamentary vote to become prime minister winning over former coalition partners in the last government.

December 28: Thaksin supporters, known as Red Shirts, hold their first rally against Abhisit.

-- 2009 --

February 24: Red-shirts surround government offices for three days.

March 26: Thousands of Thaksin loyalists begin a two-week sit-in outside Abhisit's offices. Thaksin starts to give near-nightly speeches via videolink.

April 6: Thaksin supporters attack Abhisit's car in Pattaya.

April 8: Red Shirts begin "D-Day" rally outside Government House and the residence of a key royal aide whom Thaksin accused of instigating the coup.

April 10: Thaksin supporters break through security at key summit of Asian leaders in Pattaya. --AFP