Chiang Mai farmers hang a banner that reads ‘The 19 million votes have decreased. We come to oust Thaksin’ on a train at Chiang Mai’s railway station yesterday. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra often claims the mandate of the 19 million people who voted

All roads lead to Sanam Luang today for the anti-Thaksin protesters, in what promises to be their largest rally yet against the prime minister.

More than 20,000 workers from state enterprises have agreed to join the public rally, which starts this afternoon, and will stay on until tomorrow morning, when the protesters are expected to move to Government House, said Kittichai Saisa-ard, a leader of the Confederation of State Enterprise Workers Relations.

The state enterprise workers will wear black, the colour of the unions, while taking part in the protest, he said after emerging from a meeting of the confederation's leaders.

"This will be a do-or-die protest for state-enterprise workers in this era of political intervention. We will come out in full force," Kittichai said.

He said many state-enterprise workers from the provinces were travelling to Sanam Luang, most by train or bus.

"If there's violence, we will respond with violent measures. It'll begin with delaying bill collection, cutting water and power supplies to the houses of Cabinet members, and a general strike by state-enterprise workers," Kittichai said.

At least 500 employees of the national carrier, Thai Airways, will take "sick leave" en masse in order to join the Sanam Luang rally, said Somsak Srinual, head of the company's labour union.

Somsak Kosaisuk, an adviser to the confederation, said he expected several thousand protesters from each southern province to join today's rally in Bangkok.

Somsak Kosaisuk is part of the five-member "decision-making group" of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which organises the daily anti-Thaksin rallies at Sanam Luang.

Another 30,000 protesters, consisting of farmers and teachers from the northeastern provinces, have travelled in small groups and will participate in the rally, said Uaychai Watha, a leader of northeastern teachers, yesterday.

The protestors from the South came in groups, some occupying entire train carriages while others came by bus, car or even plane.

Meanwhile, more than 2,000 supporters of Thaksin travelling by pickup truck and in home-made farm trucks, arrived in Saraburi yesterday and were expected to arrive in Bangkok in a few days, said Kamta Kanbunchan, one of their leaders.

The Thaksin supporters, most of them farmers from the Northeast, planned to join a pro-Thaksin rally being held at the Northeastern Bus Terminus.

Another group of about 2,000 pro-Thaksin farmers from the North, also travelling in pickups and farm trucks, arrived in Nakhon Sawan yesterday on their way to Bangkok, Lt-General Achirawit Suwanphesat said.

He said police were concerned that confrontations between the pro- and anti-Thaksin groups could lead to violence.

He added that police were powerless to stop people from either side entering Bangkok as they cited their right of movement.

Achirawit earlier called on both sides to take a step back in a bid to get out of the political crisis.

"But nobody appears to want to compromise. So if there's any violence, all the parties concerned - the government, the opposition, the protesters and the prime minister's supporters - should be held responsible. They can't evade responsibility," the  said.