The rally will be the second such gathering since the Supreme Court sentenced Thaksin in absentia to two years in jail in October and is likely to raise the temperature once again in a political saga that has been running for the last three years.

'He will phone in and talk about anything and everything, what injustice he has received since the 2006 coup until now,' Mr Jatuporn Prompan, an organiser of the Dec 10 rally in Bangkok's 35,000-seat Supachalasai stadium, told Reuters.

The political struggle that has hampered economic growth and claimed three lives has been on hold for the last three days out of respect for the cremation of the king's sister, but shows no sign of reaching any conclusion.

The absence of a functional government has raised fears for the export-driven economy as a global slowdown bites.

Opponents of Thaksin, who is thought to be in Dubai after Britain revoked his visa, said he would probably try to elicit sympathy by blaming his removal in a 2006 coup for his divorce from his wife of the last 32 years, made public at the weekend.

Thaksin's opponents and the Thai media, which has remained largely hostile since the coup, have also speculated the divorce may be a financial decision to protect the couple's assets, most of which are thought to be in his ex-wife Khunying Potjaman's name.

Frozen assets
Nearly US$2 billion has been frozen in Thaksin's Thai bank accounts since the coup. Both he and his wife have been convicted of corruption or conflict of interest offences, although they have avoided jail by fleeing the country.

The anti-Thaksin camp is led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a group of royalist academics and businessmen who have occupied the prime minister's compound since August, accusing the elected government of being a Thaksin puppet.

Mr Jatuporn, an MP from the ruling People Power Party, said the Dec 10 rally was meant to build support for the government's bid to push for amendments to the constitution that was drawn up under the military-backed government that followed the coup.

Some analysts fear violence if the pro- and anti-government supporters are allowed near each other at the rally.

A previous pro-government rally at another stadium on the outskirts of Bangkok passed off without incident. Supachalasai, by contrast, is only 1.5 kilometres from the PAD protest zone.

Despite the problems at home, Thaksin launched a foundation on Monday to 'nurture the next generation of Asia's business and financial leaders' and 'start-up projects in Asia', its website (www.BuildingBetterFuture.org) said.

The Building a Better Future foundation, with offices in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, would recruit 'rising stars' to 'help tackle the current economic crisis in the region and some of the most pressing problems facing developing nations', Thaksin said on the website. -- REUTERS

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