Big Rally Tomorrow-26 August 2008

[PeteC]

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai police are braced for a major anti-government demonstration on Tuesday, with tens of thousands expected to take to the streets and speculation protesters may try to occupy the prime minister's compound.

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a motley group of royalists and pro-military businessmen, is hoping to draw "hundreds of thousands" of people to the protest, although the police say they are expecting up to 35,000.

A June 20 march on Government House drew about 25,000 people accusing the government of being an illegitimate proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup after a year of PAD protests.

"It will be bigger than before, probably the biggest one, but the street can hold up to 35,000," national police spokesman Surapol Thuanthong told reporters on Monday.

Police would not clash with the demonstrators but would be backed up by fire trucks and ambulances, he said. He did not say how many riot police would be deployed.

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said in a televised speech he was not threatened by the rally and his cabinet would meet as usual on Tuesday.

"If they break any law, they will be dealt with accordingly," Samak said.

Reporters from domestic television stations said the PAD had told them to position their cameras and trucks inside the Government House compound, suggesting protesters might try to scale its wrought-iron fence.

The planned rally comes as state prosecutors formally launched a bid to get the courts to seize 76 billion baht ($2.2 billion) in Thaksin assets frozen in Thai banks since the coup.

They submitted 300,000 pages of documents to a nine-judge panel of the Supreme Court, arguing that Thaksin had used his power during five years in elected office to enrich his family, associates and businesses.

"The prosecutors are presenting evidence to ask the court to take away his unusual wealth and put it in state coffers," chief prosecutor Seksan Bangsomboon told reporters.

The assets were frozen in July 2007 when a panel of graft-busters appointed by the 2006 coup makers ordered banks to freeze Thaksin's domestic accounts, accusing him of amassing extraordinary wealth after he became prime minister in 2001.

Thaksin and his wife, Potjaman, skipped bail earlier this month and flew to London, where his lawyer said the former billionaire telecoms tycoon planned to seek political asylum.

The Supreme Court has issued arrest warrants for the two and seized 13 million baht in bail bonds after Thaksin failed to appear in a corruption case earlier this month, one of several graft cases looming over the former premier.

Thaksin has denied any wrongdoing and said political enemies who engineered the 2006 coup were meddling in the courts, making it impossible for him to receive a fair hearing.

Thailand has begun the lengthy process of trying to extradite Thaksin from Britain, where he spent much of his time after the coup and bought English Premiership soccer club Manchester City.

[Guess]

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Thailand has begun the lengthy process of trying to extradite Thaksin from Britain, where he spent much of his time after the coup and bought English Premiership soccer club Manchester City.

I hope they have the patience for it. The protests outside the British Embassy will piss off the British Government and make their task more difficult.

According to the British press, they (Thailand), have not sent in the first applications for extradition yet.

I understand that tomorrow's demonstration will demand the resignation of the constipated PM. They might sort his toilet problem out.