Bangkok: Red-shirted supporters of Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra have warned they are ready to take to the streets to protect her government from an elite-backed protest movement that claims to have seized power.

A meeting of 1000 red-shirt leaders has agreed to call on their supporters to rally in four provinces surrounding Bangkok if anti-government protest leaders continue to claim they are running the country through a so-called unelected “people’s council”.

Preparing to take to the streets again: Pro-government "red shirt" supporters react during a rally in November.

Jatuporn Promphan, a leader of the red United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), said the red shirts would rally to the side of Ms Yingluck, who has called a snap election in an attempt to defuse the crisis that has paralysed her administration and left five people dead and more than 100 injured in street clashes.

“It is the UDD’s job to bring together en masse the red shirts and those who love democracy,” Mr Jatuporn said, adding that many more people would come out to support Ms Yingluck than the anti-government protesters who have been rallying for almost two weeks in Bangkok.