Huge show of strength by DAAD

While most of the more than 20,000 people or so who showed up yesterday at Rajamangala National Stadium to express their support for the government and Thaksin donned red, not all were wearing red from the outset.

A 30-something woman from Bangkok's Din Daeng district wore white, only to change once she arrived at the rally site at around 1pm.

"There're a lot of PAD supporters around my neighbourhood," the woman, who asked not to be named, told other rally-goers. "I like my neighbours, but on politics we don't see eye to eye."

A large privately owned parking lot behind the stadium was closed, with the security guard saying the owner feared there might be trouble.

In the rally vicinity, yellow shirts, the colour used by the PAD, which has occupied Government House for more than two months now, are conspicuously absent, and some convenience-store customers made jokes with counter staff, calling them PAD supporters.

Some other red-clad rally-goers complained that the taxi-driver who took them to the site refused to drive all the way to the stadium's entrance and must be a PAD supporter.

Inside the stadium, all kinds of pro-government, pro-Thaksin, anti-coup and anti-PAD paraphernalia were for sale. Foot-clappers, the pro-government group's answer to PAD hand-clappers, were offered in different sizes and designs.

There were also red T-shirts with messages ranging from support for Thaksin, opposition to the coup and praise for |HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

Many photographs of Thaksin in various postures and costumes, videos of Thaksin's speech at a past political rally and a big banner where rally-goers could write a message to Thaksin were conspicuous.

Books criticising the PAD and the Supreme Court's role were also on sale.

"Compilation of PAD Bad Deeds" was one title.

And for those not having had enough of Thaksin, despite the fact that he was due to tele-address the crowd later in the evening, a Thaksin supporter was wearing a Thaksin paper mask to greet and shake hands with supporters.

"Democracy doesn't belong to one single group. Others have hearts too," said a voice from a loud speaker, welcoming rally-goers as a stream of red-wearing people continued to stream into the rally site.