A Thai activist holds a protesting banner during a rally outside the U.S. embassy in Bangkok, Monday, January 27

By Kazi Mahmood, IOL South East Asia correspondent

KUALA LUMPUR, January 28 (IslamOnline) - Anti-war protests are gathering momentum in Thailand, indicating that the U.S. has little hope of gaining support from the South East Asian region in its war against the Iraqi nation.

Protestors ranging from senators and religious leaders to ordinary members of the public gathered in the Peace Park in Bangkok on Sunday, January 26, to establish an alliance for peace, ANEX-TNA news agency reported Monday, January 27.

Chumphol Apisit, one of the leaders of United for Peace, Thailand, said that the alliance had been formed so that the Thai people could show a unity of mind with people across the globe in opposing the upcoming war on Iraq.

The group would single out the governments of the U.S., the U.K. and Australia for demonstrating military power, invading other countries and disturbing global peace, he said to the press in Bangkok.

Petitions would be filed to the United Nations, urging the U.N. to act as a strong leader and avert war, as well as to Parliament and the embassies of the three nations.

On February 15 a protest will be organized by the group, during which demonstrators will march on the U.S. embassy.

Popular opinion in Thailand seems to be against the use of force against Iraq, the news agency said.

In the meantime, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said on Sunday developing nations which love peace are hoping they will not be disappointed by any decision of the U.N. Security Council with regard to Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction.

He said the U.N. should be given the mandate to decide and if Iraq was found to possess the weapons, a fair decision was needed and war should be avoided, reported the Bernama news agency.

Any action taken ahead of and without due regard for the U.N. decision would undermine the credibility and integrity of the world body, he told reporters..

“Malaysia’s stand is that we will not support war because we think war will bring a lot of problems and this will not bring peace to the world,” he said.

The U.N. weapons inspection team is due to submit its report to the Security Council tomorrow on its inspections in Iraq, which the United States says has weapons of mass destruction.

Albar added that peace loving nations should give strong support for the bold and firm decision of France and Germany in speaking out against the war.

“We should support their action; they are not trying to show that they have better integrity than those who want war, but are just talking about universal justice and the importance of avoiding war,” he said.

An anti-war rally is also expected at the U.S. embassies in Manila, Jakarta and probably in Kuala Lumpur, if the governing party the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) decides to voice its protests against the U.S.

The opposition in Malaysia did not say if it has the intention to organize its own anti-war rallies, but the Party Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) has already showed its strong support for the Iraqi people.