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By Ambika Ahuja
BANGKOK, March 19 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands ofopposition activists in Thailand vowed on Friday to press aheadwith anti-government protests, preparing for a new drive to winover Bangkok"s politically powerful middle classes.
The demonstrators remained at their base in Bangkok"shistoric heart, dancing to live folk music, listening to fieryspeeches decrying the military"s intervention in politics andplanning Saturday"s city-wide recruitment march.
Investors are however convinced there is no danger to PrimeMinister Abhisit Vejjajiva and have poured 35.3 billion baht($1.09 billion) into Thailand"s stock market .SETI in thelast month.
The bourse was up 1.1 percent at a 20-month high on Friday,returning to positive territory after a day of profit-taking onThursday snapped a six-day run of gains.
The "red-shirt" protesters plan to fan out across the cityof 15 million people on motorcycles and pickup trucks onSaturday, handing out leaflets and calling on urbansympathisers to join their push to oust the government.
"We want to win the hearts of Bangkok people," NattawutSaikua, one of the protest leaders, told Reuters.
"We have already proven to them that we are genuine andnon-violent. We want them to help us topple this hypocriticalgovernment."
Analysts said it would be a tough task.
"There is no case so far for the protest to gain masssupport to overthrow the Abhisit government," Citigroup analystSuchart Techaposai said in a research note.
But that is what the protest leaders are trying to change.^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^ Take-a-Look at the political crisis, click [ID:nTHAILAND] Scenarios of possible outcomes, click [ID:nSGE62D00C] Q+A about the "red shirts", click [ID:nSGE62D00D] Analysis on the protests, click [ID:nSGE62F040] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
CONVINCING THE UNDECIDED
The mainly rural supporters of former premier ThaksinShinawatra, who was overthrown in a coup and later convicted ofgraft, are seeking to lure Bangkok middle classes, civilservants and rank-and-file soldiers and policemen to theirbattle against the government and influential establishmentelite.
Their aim is to diversify their support base, strengthentheir legitimacy and sustain a crowd that appears to be waning.
While few expect the rally to topple the government, aprolonged protest could start to undermine the leadership of apremier unable to visit his office, parliament, or his home,opting instead to stay at a fortified military compound.
However, some of the most ardent "red shirts" are beginningto succumb to fatigue and leaders are seeking reinforcements.The number of protesters peaked at up to 150,000 on Sundayalthough tens of thousands still remain.
Some vowed to stay until the end, whenever that will be.
"There is no money at my farm. At least here, we are doingsomething important, and I"m not paid to be here," said SupalakPumarin, from Udon Thani province, who, like many "red shirts",refutes common claims the masses were hired.
Analysts said the support base for the campaign appeared tobe diversifying, but convincing Bangkok residents to join theirmovement could prove difficult, especially given the strongaversion to Thaksin among many in the capital.
"It"s no longer rural versus urban and it has ceased to bethe case for some time," said Charnvit Kasertsiri, a politicalhistorian.
"There is a lot of support for the reds even in Bangkok.The question is: Can they bring them out to the streets?" (Additional reporting by Chalathip Thirasoonthrakul and PloyTen Kate; Editing by Martin Petty and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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