http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-03-04/thai-red-shirts-say-they-won-t-repeat-past-mistakes-update1-.html

Bloomberg

Thai Red Shirts Say They Won't Repeat Past 'Mistakes' (Update1)

March 04, 2010, 11:41 PM EST

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(Adds prime minister's comments in fifth paragraph.)

By Daniel Ten Kate and Suttinee Yuvejwattana

March 5 (Bloomberg) -- Thai anti-government protesters said they won't repeat "mistakes of the past" when they attempt to gather half a million supporters in Bangkok next week amid concerns that the demonstration will turn violent.

The United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, whose members wear red shirts and support ex-leader Thaksin Shinawatra, "will remain vigilant against troublemakers, and we will take care to ensure that no foreigner is harmed or intimidated," the group said in an e-mailed statement today.

The UDD's latest push to force Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to call an election has raised concern that images of violence may prompt tourists to cancel trips and depress consumer confidence. Similar demonstrations last year by the group led to rioting that prompted the government to call in the military to restore order.

Protest leaders said March 3 they may "paralyze" traffic later this month if the government doesn't allow bus companies to transport them to the capital. The group plans to bring supporters from around the country to rallies in different parts of Bangkok from March 12 to March 14.

Abhisit discouraged people from joining the demonstrations, saying they could be exploited by an unidentified "group of people" to cause trouble. Police and military personnel will set up checkpoints and patrol areas around the capital to maintain security, he said.

"The majority of protestors don't want violence, so we shouldn't fall victim to that group," Abhisit told reporters in Bangkok today. "Joining the protests won't have any benefit and may create violence."

Bangkok Bank Targeted

Since the military ousted Thaksin in a 2006 coup, demonstrations by his supporters and opponents have led to airport blockades, rioting and bombings. Four branches of Bangkok Bank Pcl, Thailand's largest, were targeted with grenades on Feb. 27, the day after a court seized $1.4 billion of Thaksin's fortune.

Foreign investors bought 4.4 billion baht more of Thai stocks than they sold on the first trading day after the verdict, the most in two years. Thailand's benchmark SET index has increased 2 percent this week, compared with a 2.2 percent rise in the MSCI Asia Pacific Index.

The UDD, which says different judicial standards are applied to their opponents, said their efforts to oust the government were non-violent. The group compared their activities to those of Indian independence hero Mahatma Ghandi.

"The junta knows that it will not survive a fair election," the group said, referring to Abhisit's government. "It fears our demands, and wants you to fear us too."

Thaksin and his allies have won the past four elections on heavy support from the northeast, Thailand's poorest region and home to a third of its 66 million people. A court used a clause in the 2007 constitution drafted after the coup to disband the pro-Thaksin ruling party for vote-buying in late 2008, allowing Abhisit to take power through a parliamentary vote. He must call an election by the end of 2011.