Police last night set up barriers around the Royal Plaza, the plan-ned venue for today’s public rally against Prime Minister Thaksin Shina-watra.

About 50 police were stationed at four locations in the area, and 700 metres of traffic barriers were erected from the railings of the Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall enclosing the plaza and the King Rama V equestrian statue.

One policeman said they had been instructed to enforce a ban on the use of the plaza for a public rally.

“We will try to avoid the use of force, but if the ban is violated, we will have no choice but to follow orders,” said the policeman, who requested anonymity.

The government imposed the ban and prohibited all audio devices in the area earlier yesterday.

However, Suriyasai Katasila, leader of the People’s Alliance for Democracy, which is organising the rally as part of a campaign to oust Thaksin, vowed to carry on regardless, saying he was “willing to get fined”.

“They’d better find somewhere else,” said Pol Colonel Phinit Maneerat, the Metropolitan Police spokesman, insisting that the rally would snarl traffic in the vicinity and create an illegal nuisance.

Suriyasai said the Dusit district office had banned audio devices on the grounds that speeches against the government would not be in the public interest, as the law on using audio devices requires.

It would be impossible, Suriyasai said, to communicate with the number of people attending the rally without microphones and loudspeakers, which would also help to keep order. He insisted that the rally would proceed.

Today’s rally is expected to be smaller than before, as media maverick Sondhi Limthongkul will no longer be its leader but one of a group of allies, and Thaksin’s strategy to regain popularity by mobilising support nationwide will also take its toll. About 100,000 people showed up at the Royal Plaza to back Sondhi last Saturday.

Suriyasai expressed concern about a possible confrontation as some pro-government groups were reported to be planning to usurp the venue before the rally begins at 4pm. He advised the police to keep a weather eye on events.

Thai Rak Thai Party deputy spokesman Jatuporn Phrompan brushed off Suriyasai’s allegation, saying the ruling party had no intention of fomenting violence.

Officials of some leading universities are reported to have warned their students against any move to oust Thaksin, according to Kotchawan Chaibutr, secretary-general of the Students’ Federation of Thailand.

“Many of my friends have come under pressure from their elders,” she said. “Why do they think only of their own good and not that of the whole country?”

A group of students claiming to be from Ramkhamhaeng University yesterday walked through central Bangkok handing out free copies of a tabloid blaming Sondhi and his allies, including the Democrat Party, for sowing dissension.

It said they should have waited for His Majesty the King’s response to their petition.