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Tens of thousands of protesters marched on the office of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday, vowing to surround it until he quits.

The march, billed as the final showdown by an extra-parliamentary coalition accusing Thaksin of corruption and abuse of power, began after an all-night rally next to Bangkok's Grand Palace which was attended by around 40,000 people.

Many stayed all night and the crowd swelled rapidly as the march began under a watchful police presence after a powerful indirect appeal from revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej not to allow the protest to descend into violence, as others in the past have.

At 8 AM (01:00 GMT) police estimated the crowd at 70,000. Large numbers of police were at Government House, where the cabinet was due to meet at 8:30 AM (01:30 GMT).

Chamlong Srimuang, the ascetic general who led a 1992 "people power" uprising against a military government in which about 50 people were killed, said there would be no trouble this time.

"We will march peacefully," he told the rally, to chants of 'Thaksin, get out'. "You can be assured that nothing will happen. Do not be afraid."

His blue-clad "Dharma Army," or the Army of Buddha's Teachings -- barefoot and carrying the red, white and blue Thai flag -- led the way out of the rally ground to Government House about 5 km (3 miles) away.

Meanwhile, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Liptapanlop said the Thai Cabinet agrees to make Chidchai Wannasathit, the first-order deputy prime minister, to be in charge of the government affairs when Thaksin is outside Bangkok.

Thaksin, who is in Thai North-eastern Province of Ubon Ratchathani, finished chairing the tele-conference meeting with his Cabinet on Tuesday morning at Government House. He said he asked Chidchai to take care of protesters in Bangkok.

Thaksin said he will go on working for the country and will not announce a state of emergency yet.

Hours earlier, Thaksin said he is prepared to declare a state of emergency if mass protests against him in Bangkok turns violent.
 
Royal signal

Previous rallies by the People's Alliance for Democracy, an extra-parliamentary coalition which accuses Thaksin of corruption and abuse of power, have been peaceful, even festive.

But 6,000 Thaksin supporters headed from northern Thailand to Bangkok in tractors and trucks, fanning fears that yet again a Thai political confrontation could turn into street violence.

Such fears clearly penetrated the royal palace and led to the screening on all six Thai television channels on Sunday of footage of the King, a constitutional monarch, talking in 1992 to the then prime minister and Chamlong as they knelt before him.

Suchinda Kraprayoon, then head of a military-led government, quit after the audience and peace returned to Bangkok's streets.

Military chiefs have been going out of their way over the past few weeks to stress that they have no intention of intervening and that the era of coups is over.

The anti-government campaign took off in late January when the tax-free sale of the telecoms business empire Thaksin founded outraged Bangkok's middle classes.

Thaksin hit back against what he says is "mob rule" by calling elections three years early and accusing the three main opposition parties of betraying democracy by boycotting them.

But the People's Alliance for Democracy, adamant Thaksin must go, and the government, adamant he must stay, appeared to be on a collision course.

(Chinadaily.com via agencies, Xinhua News Agency,  March 14, 2006)