SCUFFLES and posy-snatching marred a peaceful rally by red-shirt supporters outside the Cape Panwa Navy base on Phuket today.

The red-shirts had planned a presentation of bouquets of flowers to Navy officers at 1pm, but to avoid conflict they arrived at the base, on Phuket's east coast, early.

The flower-bearers were not early enough, though, to avoid locals who turned out in greater numbers to dissuade the red-shirts from going ahead with their floral presentation.

Villagers around the Cape Panwa Navy base see themselves as defenders of the sailors who would be called on to protect Phuket in any serious encounter.

Wisely, the reds' rivals, the yellow-shirts, stayed well clear of the bouquets and the brickbats.

The red-shirts, largely supporters of deposed and convicted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, are endeavoring to stage a nationwide campaign today to publicise their attempts to persuade the military not to stage a coup.

However, the prospects of a coup remain unlikely as the current PM Abhisit Vejjajiva, says he still has the support of the military.

Yellow-shirts seized Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport late last year in a manoeuvre that eventually led Khun Abhisit and his Democrat Party to power.

The yellow-shirts are by far the strongest of the two colors on Phuket. The island has traditionally been a Democrat Party stronghold . . . but that was before the yellow-shirts formed their own party.