Thousands rally against Thai PM
Thousands of opponents of the Thai prime minister have gathered to protest in Bangkok, vowing not to disperse until Thaksin Shinawatra resigns.
The demonstrators plan to march to the Democracy Monument, marshalled by about 5,000 police officers.
The protesters accuse Mr Thaksin of corruption and abuse of power. He has called snap elections for 2 April in an attempt to win back authority.
About 100,000 supporters of Mr Thaksin rallied on Friday to support him.
Police warned Sunday's rally, headed by the People's Alliance for Democracy, could turn violent as protesters marched from Sanam Luang (Royal Field) to the Democracy Monument, which commemorates the end of absolute monarchy.
National police spokesman Ajirawid Subarnbhesaj said: "The chance of violence is highly likely... It is very difficult to prevent violence at a protest where a huge number of people are gathered."
Suriyasai Katasila, spokesman for the alliance, said: "We will camp [at the monument] until we get the answer from Thaksin.
"If the police don't allow us to stay at the venue, we have the right to disobey their orders... The rally will go on and we won't stop unless we win."
Critics of Mr Thaksin say he has destroyed democratic institutions and is guilty of corruption, tax evasion and human rights violations.
They have called for a campaign of civil disobedience to oust him.
Mr Thaksin, who has said he will resign if his party does not win at least 50% of the vote in the election, is campaigning in the north-east. He has strong support in the countryside, where the majority of Thais live.
He warned ahead of Sunday's rally the authorities would not tolerate violence.
"Protest leaders must be cautious and make good plans to control the mob. If violence or chaos occurs, state authorities will take legal action against anyone who violates the law," he warned.
Mr Thaksin dissolved parliament on 24 February after about a month of street protests against his rule.
But his attempt to regain the initiative has been thrown into doubt by the main opposition Democrat Party and two other parties, which have said they will boycott the polls.
Analysts say this would seriously threaten their legitimacy.
The BBC's Kylie Morris in Bangkok says although the mass rallies look impressive, the forces that will determine the political future of the country are not on the street.
Along with the role of the Democrat Party, the key other forces are the electoral commission, the king, the business community and the voters themselves, she says.
The commission must decide how to manage the poll, the king must decide whether to appoint a caretaker government, the businessmen must decide how to maintain stability and voters must decide whether to tick the "no vote" box in the poll, our correspondent says. |
