Traffic law will be used to ban the red shirts from bringing their E-taen farm tractors to rally in the capital, scheduled for next Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban said Friday.
"Farming vehicles like E-taen are prohibited by law for travelling on the highway and would be a danger to Bangkok roads," he said.
Suthep said the red shirts should review their plans to mobilise thousands of pickup trucks.
He suggested they should rely on train and bus services because a surge of private vehicles from upcountry would worsen the traffic woes.
"Should some red shirts find it unavoidable to travel by their own vehicles, I have instructed police to arrange parking lots at key gateways before entering the capital," he said, suggesting protesters to travel by public transport to their rally sites.
He reminded the red shirts that police would tow any vehicles found to have obstructed traffic and that vehicle owners had to bear the costs incurred.
Commenting on the six designated rally sites on Friday, two days ahead of the mass rally, he said the red shirts must no obstruct traffic.
The red shirts and their vehicles will have to undergo security checks before entering the rally sites, he said.
He said the authorities would closely monitor the rally sites. The government will reassess the situation as it develops and act promptly to deter violence, including the possibility of enforcing the internal security law, he added.
He said he had no information about the finance of the opposition movement although he heard speculation that the red shirts needed some Bt70 million per day for the upkeep of their rally.
In regard to speculation that thousands of Buddhist monks might take part in the rally, he said monks had no business at a political rally.
