More than 500 women gathered at the Royal Plaza yesterday morning - International Women's Day - before marching to Government House. There group leaders lashed out at Thaksin for ignoring the plight of female workers and neglecting their rights.

The protesters accused him of failing to endorse initiatives to improve safety requirements at hazardous workplaces and establish childcare centres in industrial zones. They then issued a joint statement calling on Thaksin to step down and never to run in an election again.

"If Thaksin's system continues, the country will face economic, social and political disaster," the statement read.

"Under his leadership, corruption, conflicts of interest, privatisation of state enterprises, interference in independent organisations, and a lack of ethics have all afflicted the country," it added.

Other influential woman leaders also joined the attack on Thaksin.

Wilaiwan Sae Tia, leader of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee and a recent recruit to the anti-Thaksin movement, called on labourers nationwide to go on strike on Tuesday. "We will join forces to expel Thaksin," she said.

Kotchawan Chaiyabutr, secretary-general of the Student Federation of Thailand, in turn accused Thaksin of having "lost his mind" by dismissing protest rallies as mob rule. "The Constitution guarantees people the right to rally," she said.

In a related development, some 20 representatives of the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) gathered outside Government House yesterday to declare that no current SRT employees had ever been involved in the anti-Thaksin movement.

"Those of our employees who have [participated in anti-government activities] have already quit," a representative of the state-owned company said.