Key figures in the caretaker government's camp are mobilising people in the provinces to attend a gathering of the pro-government United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) on April 5, a source said yesterday.
Gen Chaisit Shinawatra, a cousin of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and UDD co-leader Arisman Pongruengrong, are now in the lower Northeast encouraging hardcore red-shirt leaders there to arrange for UDD supporters to travel to the gathering next Saturday, said the source.
Gen Chaisit is a former army chief who now serves as an adviser to caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Despite their claims they were there to help certain Senate election candidates with their campaigns in Pheu Thai Party strongholds, their main mission was working behind the scenes to support the UDD gathering, the source said.
Weerapol Sopha, a coordinator of farmer groups in 20 northeastern provinces, confirmed Gen Chaisit and Mr Arisman met about 400 people at Khun Han Witthayasan School in Si Sa Ket's Khun Han district on Tuesday.
Led by Pornchai Maneenil, the group was clear it was supporting Pheu Thai, said Mr Weerapol, adding there were actually several groups of ex-comrades and some of them chose to follow former UDD chairwoman Tida Tawornseth.
The meeting between Gen Chaisit, Mr Arisman and the ex-comrades was filmed and posted on social media. The video clip has drawn many comments.
After Tuesday's meeting, Gen Chaisit and Mr Arisman planned to meet secretly with an underground group of government supporters to come up with activities for the April 5 rally, said the source.
Gen Chaisit yesterday dismissed media reports that he was now commander of the "red army", saying he only met his former subordinates who were unarmed and loved democracy.
He was apparently referring to the video clip filmed during his meeting with the people in Si Sa Ket on Tuesday.
Another source, who is a UDD leader in Surin and who led past rallies, confirmed the UDD and Pheu Thai now wanted an even larger number of red shirts to show up at the gathering.
UDD leader Jatuporn Promphan announced the April 5 rally at a red-shirt gathering in Chon Buri last Saturday. However, he did not specify details of the demonstration.
It remains unclear who will manage the payments for hiring people to organise the rally and covering their travelling costs, said the source.
The potential demonstrators now lack an incentive to go to the new UDD gathering because the government still owes the villagers their rice-pledging money, said the source.
Meanwhile, a red-shirt community radio station in Mae Sot district of Tak province, which is due to go on air for a trial run today, was attacked by gunmen early yesterday, police said.
They 90.50 Mhz radio station is located near a private bus terminal on the Mae Sot-Tak road in tambon Mae Pa. The station was set up and operated by Wuthipong Kachathamkul, alias Ko Tee, a well-known red-shirt leader in Pathum Thani.
Chartchai Ua-angkoonkachorn, the Mae Sot red-shirt leader who is to be the station's director, told police that three or four men arrived in a pickup truck about 4am. They stopped the vehicle near the bus terminal and opened fire at the radio station.
Security guards at the station returned fire and they exchanged shots for about 10 minutes before the attackers withdrew. Mr Chartchai believed one of the attackers was shot and wounded.