Jaran Ditta-apichai insists on non-violence, and his non-violence requires mobilizing as many people as possible.

‘Why do we expect a million? Because we use non-violence.  A fight with non-violence is decided by the number of people.  Even with over 200,000 people in April [2009], it was not successful.  The number is the deciding factor of victory.  If the UDD didn’t use non-violence, we wouldn’t need a lot of people.  20,000 well-trained people would be enough.’

In the lead-up to the rally, the UDD has tried to clean up its image by keeping out persons like Seh Daeng or Gen Panlop Pinmanee.  The planning this time is not centralized like before, as the leaders have travelled to meetings with local leaders in the regions.  The organization of the rally will be more efficient, as the leaders will stay with their own people and any moves will have to be decided in meetings, Jaran said.

According to Weng Tojirakan, the planning has been done by about 40 core leaders in Bangkok and from the provinces, who agree on the non-violent approach and will try to prevent the mistakes of Songkran last year.  During the rally, demonstrators will be grouped according to province and region, with security and medical units.  Some 2,000 non-violent troops will be on alert, and will move to spots where skirmishes occur.

‘We’ve had them trained in the principles [of non-violence], to keep control of their temper when problems arise, to lessen the conditions of confrontation.  But we have not yet prepared for a situation where soldiers open fire.  It would be too scary,’ Weng said. 

Besides the non-violent troops, Jaran said that they had trained guards from Bangkok and the provinces.  They have been trained to get a common understanding of their duty and their attitude towards the people, and to be prepared to deal with skirmishes.  The UDD has also organized many training sessions during the past year for the red shirts to participate in the rally with more discipline.

Wiphuthalaeng Phatthanaphumthai talked about the lessons they had learned from Songkran last year, in which some of the red shirts wanted a quick victory, so they initiated their own moves.  This time, they will move together.

During the Songkran rally, a group of taxi drivers split away to close off the Victory Monument, and the UDD leaders had to allocate some red shirts to join them.  The move received both applauses and curses.  Shinnawat Habunpad, leader of the taxi drivers, insisted that this time they had planned no such moves.

The rally is scheduled to start on 12 March in 6 protest sites around Bangkok.

‘Our strategy for 12 March is to make tremors on a seismic scale. We want to be perceived as coming from all directions,’ Jaran said.

The activities on that day will be rituals and speeches until 6PM, and then they will gather at the Phan Fah bridge.

Mainung Kor Kunathi said that the activities at all sites will start at 12.12AM on 12 March.

The sites will be the Laksi Monument, the Taksin Monument, the Dindaeng Triangle, Lumphini Park, Bang Na, Thung Song Hong, and probably some additional places.

Some leaders have gone to the provinces and will come to Bangkok with the masses.  Natthawut Saikua will be at the centre at the People’s Channel, collecting information.

There will be no road blockades.  However, the traffic may get worse on 14 March when more red shirts will be pouring in.

Jaran expected at least 40,000 red shirts in Bangkok to come out.  He said this would be the first time in history that people in the central region would rise up.  Unlike the northern and northeastern red shirts who are motivated from a love of Thaksin, the central red shirts are motivated by a rejection of double standards and the lack of democracy, he said.

Suphorn Atthawong, UDD leader from the Northeast, said that leaders in each province had confirmed the number of 300,000 people.  They have prepared food and clothing for a one-week stay.

‘So many people want to come. But the problem is we don’t have enough cars.  The Transport Ministry has threatened bus companies not to serve us. Their licenses will not be renewed, if they do,’ Suphorn said. 

He said their numbers would be so high that the authorities could not bar them from coming through checkpoints.

Jaran seems to try to emphasize the line of non-violence, but another red-shirt leader has been heavily criticized for outrageous remarks he recently made to encourage the red shirts to bring bottles of gasoline to fight in the face of suppression or a coup. 

‘I said that if the people are hurt and suppressed, they have the right to fight.  The gasoline is in their cars’ tanks, and bottles can be found anywhere.  It was straight talking.  If we intended to use violence, we would not have mobilized so many people,’ Arisman Pongruangrong said.

‘I stress that we will never use violence.  We will take care of the people’s security, with our guards keeping alert and screening for weapons.  But if the government orders suppression, we’re not sure if we can keep control of the people’s reactions.  We start from non-violence, we will be peaceful and without weapons.  If suppressed, the rally will become a riot.  And it’s not easy to predict who will win in the end,’ Arisman said. 

Jaran said they would try their best to avoid violence.   

‘We will not lead them to peril.  Because if we lose, we will lose severely.  And who knows when we will ever be able to stand up again,’ he said.