Songkhla _ Hundreds of police yesterday secured a construction site for use in the controversial Thai-Malaysian gas pipeline in Chana district after dispersing protesters for a second time on Tuesday night.

About 300 anti-riot police were guarding the site designed to accommodate a floating pier and heavy machinery while the protesters were gathering at Lan Hoy Siab, about a kilometre from the site.

There were no reports of injuries in the Tuesday night incident. During the confrontation on Monday night, 10 policemen sustained minor bruises and injuries.

The protesting villagers alleged police used force to disperse them on Tuesday night after some left the site to pray.

Sulaidah Tohlee, 52, who remained at the site, said police flashed 10 spotlights at the protesters.

``We were temporarily blinded and after that the police came in. We all ran away and were forced back to Lan Hoy Siab,'' she said.

There were about 30 protesters there at the time.

She also denied a police claim that villagers used slingshots to fire objects at police to instigate the violence.

``They lied. They made it up so they could move in. We asked in our group and no one said they used slingshots to fire at the police,'' she said.

About 200 people led by Prince of Songkhla University students yesterday marched back from Lan Hoy Siab to the construction site and asked to be allowed to return to the protest site.

The police said they could only go back in if they were escorted by authorities so the protesters then decided to return to Lan Hoy Siab.

The situation became tense when a protester kicked one of three police cars heading to the construction site.

Pol Col Surachai Suebsuk, deputy chief of Songkhla police, got out of the car but could not find the person who kicked it.

Pol Col Pongsak Nakvijit, chief of a border patrol police unit, said yesterday Samsung Engineering (Thailand) Co, the sub-contractor, had permission to use the site from the Harbour Department.