Red-shirt leader Natthawut Saikua claimed he had learned Prime Minister
Abhisit Vejjajiva had ordered a crackdown on protesters within 48 hours.
Nattawut did not say where the information came from but other protest leaders said earlier they had learned from sympathisers in the Army that troops were being mobilised despite negotiations which had been going on for some time.
Jatuporn Promphan, another red-shirt leader, yesterday claimed Army chief General Anupong Paochinda had ordered an additional 70 companies of police to be deployed and heavy weaponry to crack down on the protesters in a day or two.
He claimed he had been tipped off that Prime Minister
Abhisit Vejjajiva had summoned Anupong, telling him he would not bow to the red shirts' proposal to dissolve the House in one month and instructed that Anupong break up the rally immediately.
Anupong said he was waiting for the right timing to execute the crackdown on the protesters. The Army chief told the PM he had summoned lower-ranking red-shirt leaders and ordered them not to bring more protesters to the Rajprasong rally.
Jatuporn said Anupong had instructed 70 companies of police to report to him at the 11th Infantry Regiment by noon today.
He said 23 companies of soldiers would move to Lumpini Park, three companies of quick-response units, 200 motorcycles and pickup trucks - apart from 150 motorcycles from other military units that would operate in plainclothes but be fully armed with M16 and A2 guns, including 2,000 shotguns.
About 80 of them would disguise themselves and mix with red-shirt protesters and would shoot at the leaders when the crackdown order was issued, he claimed.
Four Black Hawk helicopters and a Chinook helicopter would be used. Twenty special task force officers were being readied to rappel down ropes and capture red-shirt leaders.
Jatuporn said the crackdown would be carried out by today or tomorrow. "We are ready to fight till death. No matter how many weapons they are going to use,'' he said.
Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situations spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd admitted they were preparing to suppress the protesters at Rajprasong but waiting for the right timing. He confirmed the deployment of 70 companies of police from the Police Region 1-7 to execute the crackdown. Police commanders of seven regions would oversee their subordinates and work under the policy of the centre.
He said the media had misinterpreted that the centre would not use force. "Everyone knows that the area has been influenced by terrorism but not everyone in the rally is a terrorist so we have to make sure that innocent people who are misled can leave the area, though it would be impossible to take all of them out of that area,'' he said."When we are well-prepared, we will be ready to crack down on the terrorists. We can even use the word 'suppress' with them. The present situation is not the right time to execute the plan, but we are working towards achieving the goal. We are confident that we can reach it,'' he said.
The centre had thus planned to reduce the number of protesters in the capital and provinces and restrict their campaigns by not allowing them to do what they did. He said society expected to see security forces crack down on the protesters even though Anupong believed using force to quash the protest would add fuel to the fire as protesters in provinces would step up their struggle and the uprising might spread across the country. He said the government and the centre, therefore, had to launch a public campaign in parallel to create understanding and reduce social conflicts.
Sansern denied reports that the government, the military and police were not united, saying the PM, the Army chief and the National Police chief met and talked every day.
