(VOVworld) – 1,000 farmers across Thailand joined an anti-government protest in Bangkok on Thursday to increase pressure on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra concerning overdue payments under the government's rice subsidy scheme.

Rice farmers chat among their tractors on a highway where they spent a night in Ayutthaya province. (Photo: Reuters)

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) earlier accused Shinawatra of ignoring warnings of corruption and economic losses that the rice scheme may cause. On Thursday, she affirmed her innocence and blamed the 3-month protest for resulting in the government’s late payment to farmers. The opposition enlisted angry farmers in their campaign to oust the current government.