What drove tens of thousands of people to support Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday at Sanam Luang? There seemed to be little difference between them and the anti-Thaksin demonstrators last Sunday.

Maybe it was because many participants didn't come of their own accord but were paid to join the demo by some Thai Rak Thai MPs and local administrative officers, according to sources.

There was also a rumour that the TRT had told each of its MPs to gather 1,000 people from every district.

A villager from Ratchaburi's Photharam district said people had been asked to support Thaksin and when they got on the buses provided for them they had each been given Bt500.

Another source said Tambon Prachantakham Administrative Organisation in Prachin Buri had been ordered to hire 150 people to go to Sanam Luang as the tambon's representatives but the order had been rescinded for fears too many would come forward.

In Samut Prakan's Bang Phli district people were each paid Bt500 and offered transportation to Sanam Luang.

Meanwhile a member of a farmers' group who planned to drive his Etan farm truck to Bangkok to support Thaksin, said the group had been paid Bt1,000,000 to cover its petrol expenses.

"Individual farmers were offered free food and drinking water as well as Bt1,000 of which about Bt100 was deducted by the head of the group. The farmers are pleased with the payment because each of them earns only Bt100 a day," he said.

However, some supporters from the provinces said that although they had been provided with transportation to Sanam Luang, they were attending voluntarily. "It's difficult for local people to travel to Bangkok by themselves. When buses were offered we accepted," said one.

A motorcycle taxi-driver at the gathering yesterday said a leaflet had been sent to each taxi stand asking its drivers to come and cheer the PM, but he said he had been keen to attend. "I don't care about the Shin Corp sale to Temasek without tax, because it doesn't affect me. It's normal for a politician to get up to some tricks to benefit himself," he said, adding that he liked Thaksin because the premier was helping to stamp out the mafia, who were illegally taking Bt1,500 from him every month.

Yesterday saw severe traffic congestion on Rajdamnoen Road as buses from the provinces brought people to Sanam Luang.

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Upcountry Thaksin crowd feted

People gathering from the provinces to support caretaker PM Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday at Sanam Luang appeared a well-facilitated crowd. Besides free transportation to Bangkok, many also received ready-made messages cheering Thaksin.

From late morning onwards, Thai Rak Thai staffers handed out to new arrivals such items as paper headbands with the words "The Whole Thaksin Team", ribbons in the national tricolour to be tied around the neck as well as paper flags.

All these were popular, but pocketbooks about Thaksin selling for Bt100 each drew far fewer people.

Thanks to the balmy weather, the participants seemed a lively bunch, cheered on by the resounding beat of energetic music.

Although many participants conceded they had been bussed in for free, they stressed they had come willingly to give moral support to a premier they saw as being tormented by his foes.

"We've been feeling pity for the premier, but didn't have the kind of podium to express these feelings that the anti-Thaksin group has had. We also couldn't afford transportation fees to Bangkok, so it's good to have been provided free transportation," a Thaksin supporter said.

Kompayak Yingyoud, 57, a business entrepreneur from Prae who had come with 400 neighbours by train, said his group had brought their own pro-Thaksin materials: green flags with the words "Love Father, Let's not Quarrel".

The swelling crowd soon spilled over from Sanam Luang to outside the Lottery Office building on Rajdamnoen Avenue, jostling for a view of large projector televisions set up along the street broadcasting live the proceedings in the park nearby.

 TV channels reported only snippets of the event, except for the time Thaksin took the stage, which was broadcast live on the Nation Channel.

Sucheera Pinijparakarn, The Nation