Thousands join Thai anti-coup rally to hear Thaksin

Tens of thousands of people in red shirts flocked to a Bangkok stadium on Saturday in a show of support for the Thai government accused by street protesters of being a proxy of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The rally, expected to draw 40,000 people from around the country, was meant to counter the anti-government demonstrators who have seized the official compound of the prime minister' offices since August.

Police said they did not expect any clash as the site of Saturday's pro-government rally titled "Truth Today Against A Coup," is 30 km away from the prime minister's offices.

Thaksin, who skipped bail to London in August and was sentenced two years in jail for breaking a conflict-of-interest law last month, is scheduled to address the gathering with a telephone call from an unknown location.

"A massive crowd here is telling us that there are many more democratic loving people across the country than those anarchists besieging the Government House," said Jatuporn Prompan, organiser and lawmaker from the top ruling People Power Party (PPP).

The campaign against Thaksin and his supporters is largely driven by a "Bangkok elite" comprising royalists, academics and businessmen while he continues to enjoy support in the countryside.

The PPP won a December general election and formed a six-party coalition government in February with veteran politician Samak Sundaravej as the prime minister

But Samak was sacked by a court in September for hosting TV cooking shows while in office and replaced by Somchai Wongsawat, a brother-in-law of Thaksin's.

On Saturday, the 45,000-seated Rajamangala Stadium was filled with people wearing red shirts, shaking foot clappers and shouting slogans in support of the government and Thaksin. Busloads of supporters streamed in, causing miles of congestion around the stadium.

Hundreds of more seats were put up on the running track and the field to accommodate more people.

Despite promises of restraint from the organisers, some 2,000 police and soldiers were mobilised to keep peace at the stadium, a top city police chief said.

Thailand's political crisis dates back to 2005 when the People's Alliance for Democracy, a group of royalist businessmen and social activists, launched their street campaign against Thaksin, whom they accused of cronyism and abuse of power.

It has meandered through a coup to elections and back to protests and shows no signs of resolution, to the dismay of investors who are worried about a lack of functioning government with a global economic recession looming.