The Metropolitan Police has been asked to provide about 400 police to ensure security when former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his former deputy Suthep Thaugsuban report to the Department of Special Investigation to hear murder charges tomorrow, DSI chief Tarit Pengdit said on Wednesday.
Mr Abhisit and Mr Suthep are scheduled to report to the DSI head office at 1pm. The charges to be laid against them are in connection with the death of a taxi driver who was shot during the 2010 street protests of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship.
Mr Tarit said the DSI had received information that two groups of people - the red-shirts, who want Mr Abhisit and Mr Suthep to be detained after hearing the charges, and supporters of the two Democrats - would turn up at its head office office.
Police were needed to keep the two groups apart. The DSI had asked for three companies of police, totalling about 400, he said.
Mr Tarit said Mr Abhisit and Mr Suthep would be questioned for about three hours.
A number of red-shirts representing 12 community radio stations turned up at the DSI head office on Chaeng Wattana Road this morning and presented flowers to Mr Tarit in a show of support.