Thai court considers Thaksin case

Hundreds of anti-government protesters are gathering in the Thai capital ahead of a ruling by the Supreme Court.

The court will decide whether ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra abused his power by letting his wife purchase state land.

The decision - the first in a series of cases lodged against Mr Thaksin - comes amid growing tension between the former leader's supporters and his opponents.

For weeks protesters have demanded the resignation of the government, saying it is too close to Mr Thaksin.

The administration of Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat - who is Mr Thaksin's brother-in-law - has been virtually paralysed by the protests.

Corruption charges

The decision by a panel of nine judges is likely to be a key moment in Thailand's growing political division, according to a BBC correspondent in Bangkok, Lucy Williamson.

The ruling will be the first in a string of stalled and slow-moving cases against him.

When they launched the coup that ousted Mr Thaksin in 2006, the military claimed there was massive corruption and abuse of power under his rule and set up a special unit to investigate the business dealings of the former leader and his close associates.

His wife has already been convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to three years in jail.

But neither are likely to serve time behind bars, as they both skipped bail and are now living in self-imposed exile in London.

Guilty or not, the pronouncement by the court is likely to galvanise thousands of protesters camped outside the current prime minister's office for the past two months.

The protesters, from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), want the government to be disbanded and a partly appointed administration put in its place.

Repeated attempts to move the protesters from Government House have failed, and the government has been forced to operate from a disused airport while the protesters make their case in central Bangkok.

The demonstrations began peacefully, but there were violent clashes between police and protesters earlier this month, and the country's army commander has backed calls for Mr Somchai to step down to take responsibility for what happened.

Correspondents say the crisis has deeply polarised Thai society, and with the lack of any political solution in sight, the threat of more violence remains real.