Thailand's ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra delivered a televised speech from overseas to his supporters who rallied in central Bangkok Friday evening to demand step-down of the Council for National Security (CNS), who staged a military coup d'etat on Sept. 19 last year to oust Thaksin.

The speech began at about 9 p.m.(1400 GMT) and lasted about 30 minutes, transmitted on a big screen set up at Sanam Luang, or Royal Field square, in front of an audience of over 40,000 demonstrators who were holding a rally there.

Thaksin, who has been in exile overseas since the Sept. 19 coup and presently stays in London, said in the speech that he would return to his country to fight in court against the June 11 order by Thailand's Assets Examination Committee to freeze his and his family's bank accounts and assets worth more than 50 billion baht (1.47 billion U.S. dollars) on corruption charges.

Thaksin, who appeared in calm manner at a desk, claimed he was not fairly treated. He reiterated a previous vow that he would quit politics, but said he wanted to return to Thailand to "defend his dignity".

He also said he would like to see a general election be held as soon as possible, but he did not address the anti-coup rallies and demonstrations being held in Bangkok in latest days, which every time drew thousands of participants, calling for the oust of the CNS and protest alleged "unfair" treatment by the post-coup authorities on Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai party.

The former ruling party Thai Rak Thai was ordered to disband by the Constitutional Tribunal on May 30 on electoral fraud charges. The CNS-installed tribunal also banned all 111 Thai Rak Thai party executives, including former party leader Thaksin, from seeking political offices for five years ever since.

Thaksin's speech was believed to be pre-recorded, instead of a live one via internet webcam as earlier expected.

The crowd, most of whom wore yellow headbands with anti-CNS slogans on it, while some carrying Thaksin pictures, applauded the former premier. There was no sign of any eruption of violence as feared by security authorities, who have reportedly deployed over 13,000 security forces around the capital to control possible unrest.

The demonstrators, organized by the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship formed from some 22 anti-coup or pro-Thaksin groups, started the rally after 4 p.m. (0900 GMT) Friday at Sanam Luang, a traditional demonstration venue, with only some 1,000 participants initially.

The number increased as the demonstration continued into the evening, and by the time Thaksin's speech was broadcast, the crowd took up over nearly the whole space of Sanam Luang.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has said earlier on the day that the government was ready to declare a state of emergency in the capital if the rally ran out of control.

There was no immediate response from the government or the CNS on Thaksin's speech.

Another rally is planned at Sanam Luang on Saturday. Organizers said the demonstrators would march to the army headquarters which houses the CNS head office. Security is expected to remain tight in Bangkok.

Source: Xinhua