Protesters head for Bangkok

Although protest leaders stressed they would not resort to violence in their quest to oust the government, many businesses closed down, social events were canceled and Bangkok's normally chaotic traffic was unusually light.

A force of 50,000 soldiers, police and other security personnel was mobilized in the capital area. A protest leader, Jatuporn Prompan, said he expected a million people to gather by noon Sunday, when the demonstration formally begins.

“If the prime minister refuses to dissolve Parliament on Sunday, we will declare new measures. We are planning to march to key spots belonging to those in power,” he said. He ruled out action, however, at the Parliament building or Government House.

The “million-man march,” which Jatuporn said would end Wednesday, is regarded by some as the last chance for ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to return to Thailand.

The “Red Shirt” protesters, formally known as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, are made up of followers of Thaksin, along with other people who oppose the 2006 military coup that toppled him.

Forcing the government out of power, Thaksin loyalists say, could pave the way for his pardon and return. Thaksin, who resides in Dubai, faces a two-year prison term for abuse of power.

Thousands of protesters arrived in the sprawling capital Saturday after traveling in trucks, buses and motorcycles from the Thaksin heartland — the impoverished rural northeast and the north, where the fugitive leader was born.

There were no reports of violence.

In Wang Noi, to the north of the city, a line of protesters in vehicles stretched about four miles (seven kilometers) along a highway as security personnel slowly searched the arrivals. Traffic jams on the highway began as far as 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the city.

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