BANGKOK (BBC) -- Hundreds of anti-government protesters are gathering in the Thai capital ahead of a ruling by the Supreme Court.

The court will decide whether ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra abused his power by approving his wife's purchase of a plot of land belonging to the state.
The decision is likely to enflame an already tense stand-off between pro-and anti-government forces.
For weeks protesters have demanded the resignation of the government, saying it is too close to Thaksin.
The decision by a panel of nine judges is likely to be a key moment in Thailand's growing political division.
If they rule against him it will be the first guilty verdict against the absent former prime minister -- who is living in self-imposed exile in London -- in a string of stalled and slow-moving cases against him.
Guilty or not, the verdict is likely to enflame the thousands of protesters camped outside the current prime minister's office, who have been calling for the resignation of the government, seen as Thaksin's proxies.
Repeated attempts to move them from Government House have failed, and after violent clashes between police and protesters earlier this month the country's army commander has now backed their calls for Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to step down.
Somchai is a brother-in-law of Thaksin, who was overthrown in a military coup two years ago.
Many analysts say Thailand's political polarization is becoming critical and has grown far beyond Thaksin himself.