The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Bangkok

Thousands of anti-government protesters rallied in central Bangkok on Sunday, the start of what they call the "final battle" in a five-month street campaign to oust the administration.

"I fear nothing. We will not bow our heads to the dark power destroying our country," said Cat, a 48-year-old businesswoman, among the thousands of protesters waving placards and shouting "fight, fight" inside the Government House compound they have occupied since late August.

The crowd led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) planned to march to parliament early on Monday, where police have erected barricades and stationed trucks with water cannons.

A similar protest in October left two people dead and hundreds wounded, including scores of police, when police fired tear gas to break up the rally aimed at disrupting parliament.

This time, police have been ordered not to use tear gas or other "weapons" and only carry shields, government spokesman Nattawut Saikuar said after a meeting of security ministers.

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, whom the PAD accuse of being the puppet of exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, his brother-in-law, assigned army chief Anupong Paochinda to monitor the protests while he attends an Asia-Pacific summit in Peru.

Major bloodshed would raise the chances of a military coup only two years after the army's removal of Thaksin, who now lives in exile after skipping bail on corruption charges.