June 19, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 14, 1429

BANGKOK, June 18: Thai police are prepared to use fire hoses and tear gas to stop a planned anti-government march on the Prime Minister’s office, a spokesman said on Wednesday, signalling stiffened resolve against a month-long street protest.

Leaders of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which has been calling for removal of the government since May 25, have vowed to march on Government House on Friday in a “D-day” show-down with the authorities.

“We are ready to deal with this. We have contingency plans,” police spokesman Suraphon Thuanthong said.

“We have trucks that can block the march to Government House. If the barriers and trucks can’t stop them, we have other measures including fire trucks and hoses and tear gas,” Suraphon, a police major-general, said.

The stock market has fallen more than 12 per cent since the PAD launched its campaign, triggering concern among investors about political tension at a time of stuttering economic growth and soaring inflation.

Fears of clashes last month between riot police and demonstrators even sparked rumours of another military coup less than two years after the army’s removal of billionaire prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Interior Minister Chalerm Yubamrung, a hardline former policeman and Thaksin ally, upped the ante against the PAD, saying he had heard from a “reasonable source” that an unnamed group was bringing weapons into Bangkok to stir up trouble at a PAD rally.

“I got the news two days ago but I can’t tell you right now which group is transporting weapons into Bangkok,” Chalerm told reporters, adding that it was up to the PAD whether or not there was any violence.

After an emergency security meeting, the capital’s police announced they would barricade off Government House from Friday until Sunday and double the number of officers in the area to keep the protesters at bay.

Union leaders at the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, the main state power provider, said their members would take leave to join Friday’s rally, suggesting the protest may be much larger than the few thousand the PAD has so far mustered.On Wednesday, it chose the Foreign Ministry as the focus for its wrath, sending 2,000 yellow-shirted demonstrators to shout slogans alleging the government had ceded land near an ancient temple to Cambodia in exchange for business concessions.

Foreign Minister Noppodon Pattama, who was Thaksin’s lawyer before being elected to parliament in December, has denied any wrongdoing.

Separately, the opposition Democrat Party lodged a censure motion in parliament against Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and seven ministers, although it is likely to cause few problems for the coalition government given its commanding majority.—Reuters