Rajprasong has been designated a danger zone due to the stockpile of weapons and the "terrorists" congregated in the area, Army spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd said yesterday.
"Rajprasong is very dangerous to the people, including the red shirts, because violence can break out at any time," he said.
Sansern urged the red shirts, many of whom left for their homes to celebrate the Songkran festival, not to return to their rally site because of the safety risk.
He said rally organisers admitted they were supported by "unidentified warriors", who were ready to resort to violence in order to counter-attack the riot forces. Last Saturday, a number of weapons were stolen from soldiers and might end up inflicting casualties in another round of violence, he added.
He said the authorities were trying to restore normalcy by dislodging the red shirts from the Rajprasong area and that they were now prepared to deal with live ammunition fired by the "terrorists" from the red shirts' side.
"Please rest assured that the law will definitely be enforced," he said.
"In any operations, soldiers and policemen will try to avoid losses or, if that is not possible, to contain the losses within acceptable limits," he added.
As of yesterday, security reports estimated the number of red shirts in the Rajprasong area to be in the region of 4,500 to 5,000.
The Metropolitan Police Bureau is expected to beef up police numbers from nine companies to 18 to keep peace around the rally site.
Metropolitan Police spokesman Maj-General Piya Uthayo said the police bomb squad had swept the dismantled rally site at Phan Fa Bridge and found no explosive devices or any weapons left behind.
Police had assisted in negotiating with the red shirts to return some 29 items of weaponry stolen from the soldiers, Piya said.
He said police - under the jurisdiction of the Central Investigation Bureau - were preparing to enforce arrest warrants issued against 24 red-shirt leaders.
Natthawut Saikua, one of the 24, said the red shirts were preparing a "welcoming party" if the government cracked down on protesters.
"I confirm the red shirts will not waver if the government is to launch a new round of anti-riot operations early next week," he said, adding that the red shirts would not disperse before the dissolution of Parliament.
Panithan Wattanayakorn, the government's acting spokesman, said: "The Thai public have already learnt about what happened on April 10. The government will not try to explain what we are confronting at this point. The situation is not normal. It has never happened before. And it is very dangerous to the country and the survival of the people.
"There are details in many incidents. But the truth will reveal itself in the future. In the end, we will all know what the protesters are really up to."
He added that the prime minister would give fewer press interviews or communicate less with the public, except in case of necessity.
Panithan also said the Centre for the Resolution of Emergency Situations yesterday evening had issued an order to summon those involved in the red-shirt demonstrations to testify to the centre today.
He said more than 50 politicians and businessmen would be summoned to testify.
Red-shirt chief security officer Aree Krainara said he had doubled the number of guards to protect the leaders and the rally site.
Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit led surviving relatives of what he said were 30 dead victims to file a police complaint charging the prime minister and other authorities with murder related to Saturday's "bloodbath".
Red-shirt leader Jatuporn Promphan said the funeral for the victims would be postponed until the completion of legal proceedings.
Under the law, the corpses must be kept pending the completion of the investigation into the killings, he said, vowing to bring culprits to justice before the expiry of the statue of limitations in 20 years.
He said the red shirts would initiate 900 cases related to the bloodbath.
Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said the PM has no intention of resigning or dissolving Parliament to pave the way for a new election. He said doing so would damage the country in the long term.
Korn said he was not worried about the situation weakening the baht, as a weak currency would help exports.
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