Protests rock Thailand

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thousands of supporters of exiled former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra braved floods and torrential rain on Saturday in a rally to mark the third year since the billionaires overthrow by the military.
Despite the presence of more than 6,000 riot police and soldiers, about 20,000 Thaksin supporters, known as Red Shirts, rallied to demand the dissolution of parliament and the resignation of the most senior royal advisor, Prem Tinsulanonda, whom they accuse of masterminding the coup that toppled Thaksin.
The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), many from Thaksins rural strongholds, massed in stormy conditions at Bangkoks Royal Plaza close to Prems residence, dressed in raincoats and huddled under umbrellas in water almost half a foot deep.
There were no reports of clashes at the demonstration, which was the fifth big show of support for the former telecoms tycoon since an army crackdown on the UDD in April, showing the resilience of the pro-Thaksin movement.
Three years after the coup, our country has slid backwards. There is no justice in society, Thaksin, wearing a red jacket, told cheering supporters via a video link.
The longer this government stays, the bigger the disaster is for the country. Give me just six months as prime minister, and I will bring this country back to normal, he said.
Separately, dozens of people were injured on Saturday in clashes between villagers and supporters of the anti-Thaksin Peoples Alliance for Democracy (PAD) in northeastern Si Sa Ket province bordering Cambodia.
A state of emergency had been declared in the provinces Kantharalak district, with riot police sent to break up fighting between yellow-shirted PAD protesters and villagers armed with slingshots and stakes, Channel 9 television said.
Scores of villagers hurled rocks at cars and buses transporting 4,000 protesters to the disputed frontier, where they planned to rally to reclaim the 11th-Century Preah Vihear temple, which an international court awarded to Cambodia in 1962.
The show of support for Thaksin and the Si Sa Ket clashes will be another setback for Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva as he works to revive the export-driven economy, reassure investors and hold together a fragile coalition plagued by infighting.
Instability within the 9-month-old government and the possibility of more clashes has sparked rumours of another coup. The speculation has had no impact on financial markets and most analysts say a coup is unlikely.