By Martin Petty and Ambika Ahuja
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai protesters started a trek out of the capital to a satellite earth station on Friday after the government blocked their TV channel, in defiance of an emergency decree imposed to quell nearly a month of protests.
The "red shirts," supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted in a military coup in 2006, had said they would march on 10 locations, but only one was announced.
The protesters were travelling by truck and motorbike to the Thaicom Pcl satellite earth station in northern Pathum Thani province, about 60 km (35 miles) north of Bangkok.
The earth station is the country's main uplink facility and was used by the red shirts to broadcast the People Channel before it was taken off air on Thursday.
"We are marching now to ask them why they closed down People Channel and what rights they have to shut out our eyes and ears," said protest leader Nattawut Saikua.
It was still not broadcasting on Friday, despite red shirt demands, but was available on some internet sites.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has said he will not order a crackdown on the mostly rural and working class protesters who have ignored orders to leave Bangkok's main shopping district since Saturday.
"A crackdown is very unlikely in the next few days unless some group does something crazy, like a serious bomb attack or an attempted attack on important figures," a senior military source, who declined to be named, said.
The risk of confrontation has raised concern of fallout on Thailand's economy, Southeast Asia's second biggest. Central bank officials and the finance minister have said it could affect monetary policy, possibly delaying an expected rate rise.
Thailand's stock market, which had surged about 80 percent over the past 12 months as Asia's third-best performer, opened down 1 percent on Friday after falling 3.5 percent on Thursday. It was flat in mid-morning.
Foreigners, who had bought $1.8 billion in Thai stocks since February 22, were net sellers for the first time in more than six weeks on Thursday after a buying spree spurred by cheap valuations and Thailand's rebounding, export-driven economy.
Bangkok was calm and life went on much as normal except in the upmarket central shopping and hotel district, where the red shirts have camped out, forcing malls to close, since April 3.
Some malls reopened in the protest area at the Rachaprasong intersection where many hotels cordoned off their entrances.
The numbers of red shirts swell to tens of thousands as the tropical heat dies away in the evening and dropped away to about 3,000 as the sun rose on Friday.
The numbers rose again ahead of the anticipated march.
"This is great. I think we are kicking the government right where it hurts. If they don't give us elections, don't expect us to give them back their extravagant way of life," said Panipa Boonnok, 47, a seamstress from northeastern Maharasakam province, happy with the shutdown of one of Bangkok's poshest areas.
Nattawut said protest leaders had decided to wait for reinforcements to make sure there were at least 20,000 staying put at the Rachaprasong intersection.
"We have to be patient. We don't want to make any strategic mistake. They will crack down if our numbers here drop or if we march in small groups," Nattawut told Reuters.
Security forces were not visibly deployed at the main rally site although it is right in front of the police headquarters, opting to stay in their bases or on roads at least two km away in an apparent attempt to avoid provocation.
Arrest warrants have been issued for red shirt leaders, but some experts said arrests would only embolden the protest movement and sharpen its message of double standards.
No convictions were made when the reds' archrivals known as the yellow shirts blockaded Bangkok's international airport for a week in 2008 until a court ousted the pro-Thaksin government.
Abhisit faces pressure to either compromise and call an election he could easily lose, or launch a crackdown on tens of thousands of protesters that could stir up even more trouble.
Most analysts doubt the authorities will use force to remove the protesters from the shopping area -- a politically risky decision for Abhisit as his 16-month-old coalition government struggles to build support outside Bangkok.
(Additional reporting by Jason Szep and Vithoon Amorn; Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Alan Raybould)
