Thaksin rallies supporters

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday tried to whip up anti-government sentiment by saying more people should join the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) rally to oust the government.

HEAD START: A demonstrator at Government House, right, shows his loyalty to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra by putting a mask of his hero on his hat.

"You don't have to come to Bangkok, just stage rallies all over the country peacefully," Thaksin told a crowd of 30,000 supporters surrounding Government House as he called on his backers to step up their campaign to "restore democracy".

Thaksin used his video link address to attack the efforts to revive the sagging economy, saying the measures undertaken by the Democrat party-led government were copied from his blueprint. The UDD yesterday vowed to prolong its rally and keep up the pressure on Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda and Privy Councillor Surayud Chulanont to step down.

See also: Surayud says Thaksin coup claim untrue.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva shrugged off Thaksin's call for a House dissolution and a fresh election.

Mr Abhisit said he did not understand what Thaksin actually wanted. In the beginning, Thaksin demanded charter amendments and now he called for a House dissolution, he said.

Mr Abhisit, at a conference organised by the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, said what Thaksin had told his supporters on Friday was nothing new. In a video-link broadcast to tens of thousands of United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) supporters, Thaksin proposed the House be dissolved and a fresh election be called to end ongoing political conflicts.

Panitan Wattanayagorn, deputy secretary-general to the prime minister, said Thaksin's video speech mostly focused on personal issues rather than giving advice on how to deal with economic issues. His remarks offered nothing new, said Mr Panitan.

UDD leader Nattawut Saikua said the group would equip its rally with basic needs ranging from food and medical supplies to mobile toilets to allow it to "continue our rally for months" until the two quit their posts and the government dissolves parliament and calls new elections.

Any attempts to disperse the rally in Bangkok would result in battles breaking out everywhere in the country, warned UDD leader Jatuporn Phromphan.

"If police use force against us here, red-clad groups in each province would surround provincial halls," he said.

Their stance has been strengthened by Thaksin, who on Friday attacked Gen Prem and Gen Surayud, alleging the two were behind the coup that overthrew his government in 2006.

"We call on the two councillors to resign to protect the honour of the Privy Council," Mr Nattawut said.

Thaksin's speech defamed the accused at the most, but would not be regarded as an offence against the monarchy, said city police spokesman Pol Maj-Gen Suporn Pansuea.

Thaksin yesterday also lashed out at government plans to seek more loans and maintain a strict budget deficit policy. He believes the government could not control its spending to stimulate the economy as more loans would only force people to pay more taxes. Yesterday afternoon, 10 UDD supporters burned an effigy of Gen Prem in front of his Si Sao Thewes residence.

Gen Prem's residence and Government House are among four venues in Bangkok where city police have been assigned to keep order.

The other two hot spots, where the UDD supporters might also stage rallies, are the Foreign Ministry and the Democrat party headquarters.

Coalition parties fear that if the rally gets out of control it could take days to subdue, sources in a group under Newin Chidchob and Chart Thai Pattana said.

Mr Newin's faction and key Chart Thai Pattana members agreed that the rally in front of Government House could deteriorate into violence if UDD leaders could not handle the situation.