The Thai government's security-related Situation Monitoring Committee agreed at its meeting Thursday that March 12, when the red shirts plan to gather at six locations around Bangkok, would be the "most worrying" day of their new major activities, a source said.

At the meeting at Army headquarters, the possibility of declaring March 12 an extra public holiday was also raised, according to the source.

During the Songkran festival last April, the government declared some extra public holidays after a road blockade at the Victory Monument and violent protests at other locations in Bangkok turned into riots.

Deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who is in charge of security affairs, chaired the meeting, which lasted more than three hours. The other participants included defence minister Prawit Wongsuwan, permanent secretary for defence General Apichart Phenkitti, armed forces supreme commander General Songkitti Jakkabatra, the commanders-in-chief of the three armed forces, and acting national police chief General Patheep Tanprasert.

Major General Ditthaporn Supawong, spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command and for the panel, told a press conference after the meeting the participants expressed concern for the safety and convenience of Bangkok residents.

Suthep, as the panel's chairman, instructed the Royal Thai Police and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to minimise the impact of expected traffic congestion during the street protests to help Bangkok residents already suffering from the problem, according to the spokesman.

Ditthaporn said Thursday's meeting did not discuss imposing the Internal Security Act.

The Army chief maintained Thursday that the armed forces had no political bias and told unit commanders to relay the message to their subordinates and their families, Army deputy spokesperson Colonel Sirichan Ngathong said.

She told a press conference Thursday that Army commander-in-chief General Anupong Paochinda stressed on the Army's duty of serving society and maintaining peace, while chairing a meeting of commanders.

He also urged the commanders to prevent their subordinates from being persuaded to "do anything that would cause negative effects on the country due to misinformation", the spokeswoman said.

"The Army is for the benefit of the country. We take no (political) colours or sides," Anupong was quoted as saying, referring to the rival red shirts and yellow shirts.

Regarding the planned major rally by the anti-government red shirts, the Army chief told the meeting that he expected a "fragile situation" around mid-March. Anupong expressed concern and instructed the unit commanders to closely follow the situation, according to Sirichan.

She said the Army chief also told the commanders to ask their subordinates and their family members not to take sides in the conflict between groups of different political colours.

Anupong told the commanders that in addition to the First Region Army, which is now assisting police in manning checkpoints in Bangkok, the remaining units such as the Second to Fourth Region Armies should be on standby in case reinforcements are needed, according to the spokesman.

However, the spokeswoman rejected reports that soldiers were blocking protesters from the provinces from joining the red shirts' rally in Bangkok. She said the soldiers were just maintaining peace and providing convenience to motorists.

Meanwhile, Democrat MPs estimated that it would cost the red shirts about 70 million baht a day to hold their major rally in Bangkok, a Government House source said Thursday.

A group of Democrat MPs met Deputy Premier Suthep at Government House Thursday to discuss preparations for the rally. The Democrats estimated that given the fact each Pheu Thai MP was expected to hire 200 pickup trucks to carry people joining the rally at 3,000 baht-3,500 baht for each vehicle, as well as 300 baht in daily allowance for each participant, it would cost 70 million baht a day to hold the rally, according to the source.