Thai army braces for major anti-coup rally

BANGKOK, June 15 (Reuters) The Thai army and police braced for a major anti-coup rally today, with ousted and exiled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra expected to address thousands of his supporters via a big-screen videoconference from London.

Army chief Sonthi Boonyaratglin, who led September's military coup against Thaksin, met the national police chief to discuss crowd control plans amid fears the demonstration could turn violent, officials said.

Crowds of up to 10,000 people have been drawn every night this week to the Sanam Luang parade ground in front of the golden-spired Grand Palace to protest against the coup and the recent court decision to disband Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party.

Security forces and protesters accused each other of trying to provoke violence, with both sides vowing they would not be the ones to throw the first punch.

''From our intelligence gathering, there is a possibility that it will escalate to violence but we will do our best to prevent that,'' army spokesman Colonel Sunsern Kaewkumnerd said.

''Violence won't come from security forces, but from the protesters.'' Police fear the prospect of Thaksin making his first 'appearance'' in Thailand since the coup on a giant screen at one end of the parade ground could draw crowds way in excess of 10,000.

He is due to address the crowd at 9 p.m. local time.

Around 1,800 soldiers and police have been deployed to keep order, but the same number are on standby should the situation turn ugly, police said.

Soldiers threw up steel barricades around the nearby Army Headquarters and told office staff to go home early. The house of top royal chief adviser Prem Tinsulanonda, who is accused of masterminding the coup, has also been cordoned off.

Anti-coup campaign leader Jatuporn Prompan said protesters would not stage a repeat of last week's march on the Army Headquarters, which ended in scuffles with police.

''Thaksin is an honourable man whose remarks will not provoke violence. He only wants to speak his mind to clear himself,'' Jatuporn said.

At face value, the coup stemmed from middle-class street protests in 2006 against Thaksin's autocratic style and huge personal wealth, which his opponents say he wielded unfairly to secure unassailable support from the rural masses.

But analysts say it was as much about a royalist military and business elite removing a nouveau riche, ethnic Chinese businessman who had encroached too far on their traditional turf.

REUTERS SLD KP1516