Thousands of red-shirted protesters arrive in Bangkok; Businesses close down, social events canceled

Many businesses chose to close down and social events were canceled, ahead of the major mass rally starting on Sunday.

Many embassies have warned their citizens to stay away from areas of the city where violence could erupt.

The UDD supporters arrived in Bangkok after traveling in trucks, buses and motorcycles from the impoverished rural northeast and the north, where the fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was born.

There were no reports of violence.

The Red Shirts have vowed that they would not resort to violence — and some in Bangkok even handed roses to policemen. However, the group's last major protest in Bangkok in April ended in rioting that left two people dead, more than 120 people wounded and buses set on fire on major thoroughfares. The army was called in to quash the unrest.