The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship has vowed to mobilise millions of supporters in a show of strength against anti-government protesters.
UDD leaders across the country will today attend a "UDD war drum" meeting in Nakhon Ratchasima to discuss the current political situation before a mass rally is held, red-shirt core leader Jatuporn Prompan yesterday said via the red-shirt website uddtoday.net.
The meeting will discuss ideas among red-shirt leaders from all 77 provinces, Mr Jatuporn said. UDD leaders will consider those ideas before drawing up a battle strategy against the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) protest group.
He urged red-shirt members to take extra care during the planned UDD "battle", claiming the PDRC was protected by a group of heavily-armed men.
Mr Jatuporn said the battle would draw "millions" of red shirts. If more people were mobilised, the battle could be finished in three days, he added.
"If the red shirts stage a mass rally, we will not lose," he said. "If we suffer defeat, it means democracy will suffer a defeat too. We don't want to see the current political situation be like Rwanda or Cambodia where civil wars broke out.
"If our patience runs out and we cannot tolerate [the situation], we must fight and the situation will take a new twist. The world will remember our battle."
Caretaker Deputy Commerce Minister and UDD core leader Nattawut Saikuar said "watermelon" soldiers and "tomato" police who supported the red-shirts were expected to support UDD demonstrators during the planned rally.
A red-shirt leader in the North said the UDD would fight if a military coup is staged against the caretaker government. Up to 5,000 red-shirt members will gather in front of military camps in each province in a show of force against a possible coup, he said.
The red shirts will be empty handed when they "shut down" the military camps, like PDRC demonstrators attempted to shut down Bangkok, the red-shirt leader added.
He stressed the red shirts would not cut off water and electric supplies.
The UDD would use all protest strategies the PDRC had used, he said, as the anti-government group had set a precedent that its actions were acceptable.
PDRC secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban said he was not worried about the UDD's planned rally. He urged those wanting to be "slaves" of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to join the red-shirt rally.