Thousands of people massed peacefully outside the office of beleaguered Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday, their leaders vowing they would stay until he quit.
Thaksin said he would declare a state of emergency if things got out of hand in the latest phase of a growing campaign to oust him, an act that could bring troops onto the streets of a country with a long and relatively recent history of coups.
But military chiefs said they saw no immediate signs an emergency decree would be needed despite the leaders of the campaign, who accuse Thaksin of corruption and abuse of power, taking the protest to Government House, the seat of government.
"So far, we don't think the situation will turn violent," army chief Sonthi Boonyaratglin said after military leaders met Defence Minister Thammarak Isarangura to review the situation. Before the meeting, Sonthi said he opposed an emergency, declaring it "useless because it will hurt the image of our country".
Supreme Commander General Ruangroj Mahasaranon said there would have to be serious violence before one was declared. "Only if the situation escalates into unrest like riots or arson attacks in the city. But I don't see anything now," he said.
More than 100,000 people began the protest after an all-night rally, but the crowd dwindled during the day to around 10,000 sitting on the main road alongside the large Government House compound. It grew again in the evening to around 40,000.
The crowd appeared to be well disciplined, although hundreds had to be treated for headaches, stomach cramps and sore throats after hours in the humid heat. "It's from shouting 'Thaksin get out' all day," said nurse Baibuddha Asoketrakul.
When some people tried to tear down a long banner pinned to the wall of Government House bearing messages of support for Thaksin, marshals in the crowd moved swiftly to stop them.
Fears of violence have been rife since the anti-Thaksin campaign caught fire in late January following the tax-free $1.9 billion sale by relatives of the business empire he founded. The campaign against Thaksin, which began in September, has worried financial markets concerned that economic reforms and plans to spend $43 billion on revamping infrastructure to help reverse an economic slowdown will be delayed.
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