Some 300 people - many forest conservation volunteers of the province's forestry resources office - were holding up posters and banners welcoming Thaksin.

They started jeering 20 members of the People's Alliance for Democracy, who carried posters attacking Thaksin, until local police broke up the confrontation. The PAD group then dispersed.

PAD member Nitaya Kurakan said a larger PAD group was ready to protest against Thaksin in Mae Sot district. But he suddenly changed his itinerary and went to Muang district instead and they didn't have enough time to move to the new venue.

PAD coordinator Suriyasai Kata-sila, who was in Bangkok, called for an investigation into whether the Thak-sin supporters were government officials, as the group was muzzling expression of political opinion.

"I believe if Thaksin is still in his post, people will find new ways to campaign against him," he said.

A meeting of PAD provincial leaders would be held tomorrow to discuss the political situation and plan future actions while PAD's northern chapter would rally in Phitsanulok on Saturday, he said.

Travelling by helicopter in bad weather, Thaksin changed his route because of poor visibility. This gave him the chance to pay his respects to the statue of King Taksin the Great.

Thaksin praised the Tak governor for following the government's policies closely. He ordered the province to survey its border population as people often crossed the border to Burma or maintained dual citizenship.

Arunthawat Paosombat,

Sathien Viriyapanpongsa

The Nation