The People's Alliance for Democracy yesterday said it would hold a mass rally next month if caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra continued to act in defiance of judicial recommendations to end the political crisis.

The PAD also attacked Thaksin for using his caretaker capacity to plunder the country as in the upgrading of Suvarnabhumi Airport into a new province in order to fuel land speculation.

PAD leaders Sondhi Limthongkul, Pipop Thongchai, Somkiart Pongpaiboon, Somsak Kosaisuk and Chamlong Srimuang, chaired their first national convention at the Thammasat auditorium yesterday.

It was a brainstorming session aimed at soliciting ideas and mapping out new measures in a bid to defeat the Thaksin regime before commencing a new round of political reforms.

Pipop said the PAD would do everything in its power to help the three top courts punish the rogue government. Sondhi said Thaksin was a traitor who helped Singapore to take over Phuket and properties along Sathorn Road.

"Thaksin is a thief dressed in a suit plundering the people," he said.

Talking to reporters backstage, he said he suspected the caretaker government of having sealed many deals in order to pocket commission payments.

In one suspicious deal, the powers that be might benefit from ill-gotten gains relating to the bid to build a new administrative centre on Chaeng Wattana Road, he said.

In a controversial decision, the Cabinet initially approved the creation of a 77th province in order to drive up land prices around the new airport, he said. Thai Rak Thai Party executives and their supporters own large plots in the area, he added.

Chamlong said he was optimistic that the judiciary could rein in the Thaksin regime and end the political crisis, although it would need time.

In regard to the planned new province, an opinion poll showed almost 86 per cent of local residents wanted the authorities to conduct a public hearing on the matter before the Cabinet made its final decision.

The new province, if established, would cover parts of Bangkok and Samut Prakan. Only 34 per cent of local residents said they wanted to be under a new local administration.