Thailand's 'Red Shirt' protestors have fortified their rally base with home-made barricades, saying they are braced for a 'brutal' crackdown on their anti-government campaign.
Entrances to the vast encampment, which has engulfed Bangkok's upscale retail district, were blocked with barriers made from bamboo poles and car tyres draped with plastic sheeting.
Piles of sharpened bamboo sticks and broken paving stones have been stockpiled, triggering fears of new confrontations with the security forces.
Security forces have warned they will respond with tear gas and may fire live rounds.
Tensions are still high after clashes on 10 April, sparked by a failed attempt to dislodge the protestors, which left 25 people dead and 800 wounded in Thailand's worst civil unrest in nearly two decades.
'Red leaders' denied allegations they are hoarding weapons, and hit out at army warnings that troops are authorised to use lethal force against them if necessary.
'The government is subtly preparing for a brutal crackdown on us. Please stop trying to find a reason to kill innocent people,' said senior Red figure Nattawut Saikuar.
'Anyone with common sense can see that we cannot fight against assault rifles like M16s armed only with sharpened bamboo,' he said.
'We are not terrorists but have come here empty-handed to call for democracy.'
Army spokesman Colonel Sunsern Kaewkumnerd insists that a weapons arsenal was being stockpiled behind protest lines.
He also said that another 54 alleged Reds supporters have been summoned by authorities, and that the 31 people from an earlier batch of 52 called in for questioning who have failed to report to police now face arrest.
Protestors were forced yesterday to cancel plans to march from their base to the nearby Silom financial district after thousands of troops descended with assault weapons and razor wire to secure the area.
Hundreds of members of the security forces and so-called Red Shirts are now facing off at the perimeter of the two zones, separated by a long stretch of the makeshift barricade.
The Reds have said they are focused on bolstering numbers at their rally camp, which stretches along 4km of some of Bangkok's major thoroughfares, ahead of an offensive they expect before next Monday.
Besieged shopping centres and hotels have been forced to close amid the mayhem, worsening the damage to the economy of the tourist paradise and its reputation as the 'land of smiles'.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who is defying calls to quit and call fresh elections, has said the government is determined to rout the Red Shirts and did not rule out the prospect of martial law being declared.
The protestors are mainly supporters of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and is living in exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption.
They say the prime minister’s government is undemocratic because it came to power in a parliamentary vote after a court ruling removed Mr Thaksin's allies from office.
