Thaksin protesters rally to Thai capital

13 Mar 2010, 7:14 pm   -   Source: AAP
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Red Shirt organisers set up a rally stage near government ministry buildings. (AAP)

Red Shirt organisers set up a rally stage near government ministry buildings. (AAP)

Supporters of deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra stream outside Thailand's capital as they head to a rally aimed at toppling the government.

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Tens of thousands of supporters of deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra streamed through military checkpoints outside the capital on Saturday as they headed to a rally aimed at toppling the government.

Thai authorities have deployed a 50,000-strong security force, including soldiers, to patrol the streets and search protesters entering the city, as they fear some could incite trouble ahead of Sunday's main rally.

Up to 20,000 protesters in their signature red shirts passed through the busiest checkpoint in Ayutthaya, 80 kilometres north of Bangkok, on Saturday morning, the provincial governor told AFP.

Governor Withaya Pewpong said another 15,000 Red Shirts, waving red flags and travelling mostly by pick-up truck and car, were expected to enter the city via the northern post, manned by 700 unarmed soldiers and police.

"The protesters have been cooperating well with the security officials who are focused on looking for weapons and explosives and checking identity cards," Withaya said.

Organisers insist the protests will be peaceful, but the government has enacted the strict Internal Security Act to monitor the rally, allowing authorities to set up checkpoints, impose curfews and limit movements.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who has refused to bow to the protesters' demand to step down and call elections, spoke to reporters after meeting with ministers and top brass at a military barracks on Saturday.

"We should not be complacent because there are some groups of people still wanting to create violence and cause confrontations," said Abhisit, who has cancelled a weekend trip to Australia because of the rally.

Around 6,500 protesters attended early demonstrations at several spots in Bangkok on Friday that passed without major incident, police said.

Red Shirt organisers set up a rally stage near government ministry buildings on Saturday and police said about 1,000 demonstrators had arrived at the venue ahead of the official start of the rally at midday on Sunday.

The government has lowered its estimate of expected turnout at the rally to 70,000, but the Red Shirts say the figure will be nearer 600,000.

The protests come two weeks after Thailand's top court confiscated $US1.4 billion ($A1.53 billion) of Thaksin's assets, and are the latest chapter in a political crisis that has beset Thailand since Thaksin was toppled in a 2006 coup.

Thaksin, who has been living mostly in Dubai to escape a two-year jail term for corruption at home, has been egging on his supporters using text messages and his Twitter page.

"Thank you for your dedication.... I want to give my support to the people in the north," he told his followers on Twitter Saturday, before announcing that he was about to fly from Dubai to Europe to see his two daughters.

The protest is set to be the biggest since the Red Shirts rioted in Bangkok in April last year, leaving two dead and scores injured.

The Red Shirts mainly represent Thailand's rural poor, who benefited from Thaksin's populist policies and say Abhisit's government is elitist, military-backed and has ignored their democratic rights.

Thaksin, by contrast, is loathed by the rival royalist "Yellow Shirts" backed by Bangkok's establishment, who accuse him of corruption and of lacking loyalty to the revered royal family.

Thirty-five countries have issued travel warnings for Thailand because of the protests, according to the country's tourism authority.

Analysts say the number of Red Shirts who actually turn up will be key to deciding whether they have any chance of pushing out the government before Thailand's next elections, due in December 2011.

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