<<Print>>

More than 6,000 police were out in force Saturday in Thailand's capital as anti-government protesters marked the third anniversary of a military coup they say was a major setback for the democratic system. Far away on the border, an anti-Thaksin group clashed with police as it tried to enter a disputed border temple. The row between Thailand and Cambodia over the temple has ignited nationalist tensions in both countries. Security forces set up roadblocks to try to prevent the group entering the 11th century Preah Vihear site, which has been the scene of deadly cross-border shootings in recent months. Many of the protesters in Bangkok are supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister who was ousted Sept. 19, 2006, after being accused of abuse of power and disrespect to the country's constitutional monarch, 81-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The demonstrators, who gathered in a large public square, want Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thaksin's rival, to step down. They claim he came to power illegitimately with the help of the military and the judiciary, two pillars of the Thai ruling class. Thaksin is popular among the country's rural majority, for whom he instituted generous social welfare programs. Mr Thaksin himself is in overseas exile, after being convicted in absentia of corruption. He won elections in 2001 and 2005, swept to office by a wave of support from rural voters whose concerns he worked to address. After he was ousted, his allies won the first post-coup elections in 2007. In Bangkok, the rally was expected to reach its height Saturday evening. Several thousand people turned out early, but a heavy rain swept through the city at mid afternoon, possibly discouraging attendance. Police had said 20,000-30,000 people were expected. An election after the coup returned Thaksin's allies to power, but anti-Thaksin protesters caused chaos by occupying the prime minister's office for three months, and the capital's two airports for a week. Court rulings purged two pro-Thaksin prime ministers and led to Abhisit's taking power. Thaksin's supporters say the Thai establishment � royalists, the military and Bangkok's business-oriented middle and upper class � is unwilling to yield the privileges it has long held at the countryside's expense.