The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Bangkok

Thousands of anti-government protesters rallied in Bangkok's business district Friday, police said, as pressure mounts on the prime minister to step down after last week's deadly street clashes.

Police hung back by the roadside as some 5,000 supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) marched down a busy street carrying pictures of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat emblazoned with the word "murderer".

Two people were killed and nearly 500 injured on October 7 when police fired tear gas to prevent thousands of PAD supporters from blocking parliament, prompting some protesters to fight back.

Speaking from a makeshift stage on the back of a truck, Somsak Kosaisuk, a PAD leader, said they were planning on handing out 100,000 books and CDs with photos and accounts of the violence.

"The truth will show why the government has no legitimacy to run the country," Somsak told the crowd, many wearing black to mourn the dead supporters or yellow out of allegiance to the king. "The government thinks that people are their enemy and used the police to kill people on October 7."

The full-colour booklets showed graphic images of protesters whose limbs were blown off in the clashes-injuries blamed by a forensic expert on dangerous Chinese-made tear gas canisters.

The front page of the PAD leaflet showed a man clutching the bloodied stump of his leg, allegedly after it was blown off in the police crackdown.

"We have brought pieces of cloth, water bottles and masks in case the police use tear gas again," said Dusadee Siriwanlop, 42, a PAD supporter.

The PAD launched its campaign in May, claiming that the ruling People Power Party elected in December was a puppet of ousted and exiled premier Thaksin Shinawatra, whom they accuse of corruption and nepotism.

The demonstrators seemed largely cheerful Friday, sheltering from the sun under a sea of umbrellas.

"More than 5,000 people have joined the march. Today the police prepared around 150 policemen to help maintain safety," a police colonel told AFP.

The rally ended without incident at about 1:00 pm (0600 GMT) after the protesters marched to the main shopping district and dispersed.