‘Red shirts’ in Thailand practice self-defence before joining pro-government protest

With a flurry of punches and kicks, hundreds of Thai "red shirts" undergo self-defence drills as they mobilise to protect the embattled government, stoking fears of a dangerous new phase of civil conflict.

While far from a battle-ready militia, the ranks of sunweathered rice farmers brim with determination to prevent opposition protesters in Bangkok toppling Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Drawn from the poor but populous north and northeast, the red-shirts broadly support ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra - Yingluck's elder brother.

Their rhetoric has soared over the last few weeks, matching a barrage of legal challenges that could lead to Yingluck's removal from office.

In anticipation of her fall, the red-shirts say they will bring hundreds of thousands of supporters to a Bangkok suburb today for a two-day rally.

The move looks likely to raise the stakes in a six-month political crisis that has left 24 people dead and hundreds wounded in grenade attacks and shootings.