The anti-government red-shirted group confirmed Saturday afternoon that the mass rally will fall on Sept. 19 as planned, even though the government invokes the Internal Security Act, Thai media reported.
Core leader Jatuporn Promphan of the pro-Thaksin group insisted that the red-shirts have constitutional right of assembly without weapons, Bangkok Post online reported.
The red-shirts, or the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), will gather at the Royal Plaza and after that they will march to Si Sai Theves residence of Gen Prem Tinsulanonda, president of the Privy Council, Jatuporn said.
The demonstrators will peacefully disperse at around midnight, he said.
Red-shirts' statement came after Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva earlier in the day admitted the odds of invoking the Internal Security Act again to deal with the planned mass rally on Sept. 19.
Abhisit discussed the issue with acting police chief Pol Gen Thani Somboosap at a cafe in a gasoline station in Maharaj district of Ayutthaya province, while he was on his way back to Bangkok from visiting Lopburi province.
The prime minister made the stance after his motorcade confronted protests and was pelted with bags of fermented fish, water bottles and sandals when he was visiting Lopburi this morning.
About 200 red-shirts in Lopburi rallied against Abhisit who visited the central province to record his Confidence in Thailand with PM Abhisit weekly program on NBT Channel.
The imposing of Internal Security Act was on the table again, after the government invoked the Act from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 to handle the red-shirts' protest, which was initially scheduled for Aug. 30 to press Abhisit to dissolve the House and to call new election.
In the wake of the mobilization of police and army troops by the government, however, the pro-Thaksin group on Aug. 29 announced postponement it to Sept. 5, citing the reason of the unnecessary fuss by the government.
Days later, they re-postponed the rally to Sept. 19, the three- year anniversary day of the military coup that ousted the then Prime Minister Thaksin shinawatra.
(Xinhua News Agency September 12, 2009)
