RED SHIRTS TO AVOID VIOLENCE

       Intelligence indicated no possibility of violence in today's rally by the red shirts as protest leaders have been instructed by fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra to "save the energy and funds" for a large demonstration during the upcoming Asean Summit next month, a government spokesman said yesterday.
       National Intelligence Agency (NIA) director Adul Kowattana yesterday reported the findings to a meeting of senior officials from state agencies during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva at Government House, deputy government spokesman Watchara Kannikar said.
       The NIA chief told the meeting that the agency did not expect the red-shirt rally to end by tomorrow morning.
       Intelligence showed that Thaksin did not want to create violence in this protest and that he preferred to save the energy and funds for another rally to be organised next month in Bangkok during the 15th Asean summit.
       The summit venues are Phetchaburi's Cha-am district and Prachuap Khiri Khan's Hua Hin district, where authorities plan to invoke the Internal Security Act.
       Protest leaders had said the rally, to be held at the Royal Plaza, would end around midnight today.
       The former prime minister also expected to create an impact ahead of the next general elections, which he anticipated to take place early next year, the intelligence chief was quoted as saying.
       "Intelligence showed that the former prime minister did not want to see violence but he could not stop the red-shirt leaders. What is frightening is that the leaders would be unable to control the aggressive participants of the protest. There is also concern that a third party will try to incite confusion. Such signs have been detected," Watchara said, based on information from Adul.
       The information was compatible with that from some sources in the opposition Pheu Thai Party.
       Thaksin told a group of leading party figures, who met him in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, earlier this month that he did not want today's protest to become violent, the sources said.
       The former leader wanted the rally to be simply an expression of political views, with no obvious political goals, according to the sources. Thaksin was convinced there would be a general election early next year and possible talks with his political enemies soon.
       Meanwhile, the prime minister said yesterday that the aim of imposing the ISA was to prevent violence and maintaining peace rather than limiting the liberties of protesters.
       "Most Thai people want the country to be peaceful," he said.
       Abhisit was speaking during an inspection of the Internal Security Operations Command. It was his first visit to the agency after becoming prime minister and its ex-officio director.
       The prime minister is scheduled to leave the country tomorrow for the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York and the Group of 20 Summit in Pittsburgh the following week.
       Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who will be in charge during the premier's absence, reiterated yesterday that officials would use no weapons other than crowd-control gear.
       Meanwhile, Somyos Phruksakasemsuk and other red-shirt leaders yesterday filed a petition with the Criminal and Appeals Courts against the Cabinet, accusing them of malfeasance for imposing the ISA. The Administrative Court earlier rejected a similar petition by the red shirts on grounds that the matter was beyond its jurisdiction.
       In a related development, Army commander-in-chief General Anupong Paochinda insisted yesterday that there would be no coup during the prime minister's absence from the country, as had been rumoured.
       "There won't be any coup by any group of people. I can assure about that," he said.
       Three years ago this month, a coup toppled Thaksin's government while he was in New York to attend the annual UN assembly.