Inciting crowds will backfire, Suthep warns Thaksin

The anti-government group plans to gather at Sanam Luang and ahead of a march to Government House, where they will stage a mass rally.

"As I am in charge of security, I am frustrated about the prevailing situation and sympathise with people, particularly the vendors, who face worsening difficulties on top of their hardship to eke out a living," he said.

Suthep said he suspected the red shirts would try and stir up trouble during the mass rally although he was confident the authorities could keep the situation under control.

He reminded ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra that the more he tried to incite the crowds, the more his efforts would backfire and add to his own predicament.

While the red shirts might try to cause disturbances, the government would remain fully functioning and Government House was expected to open for business as usual, he said.