The yellow-shirts were behind the street protests that led up to the military coup of September 2006 - and the ones two years later that forced Mr Thaksin's allies from power.
Called the Peoples' Alliance for Democracy (PAD), they are a loose grouping of royalists, businessmen and the urban middle class.
They are led by media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul and Chamlong Srimuang, a former general with close ties to the king's most senior adviser, Gen Prem Tinsulanonda.
In the months leading up to the 2006 coup, the yellow-shirts accused Mr Thaksin of corruption and abuse of power.
They also accused him of inadequate loyalty to the monarchy - and wear yellow because it is the king's colour.
Street protests in Bangkok attracted tens of thousands of people, shutting the capital down. Amid political deadlock, the military ousted Mr Thaksin.
There was calm for several months. But rumblings began when Mr Thaksin's allies won the post-coup elections in December 2007 and formed a government.
In May 2008 the yellow-shirts restarted their protests, arguing that the government was merely a proxy for Mr Thaksin.
They staged sit-ins at government offices and there were sporadic outbreaks of violence.
In late November they staged a week-long sit-in at Bangkok's two airports, shutting down air traffic and crippling the tourism industry.
These protests - combined with a court decision to ban the ruling party - left the Democrats in a position to form a coalition government.
The yellow-shirts had achieved their goal and they called off their protests. But they are keeping a close watch on the rising anger inside the red-shirt camp.
It is not clear how they will react to the attempted assassination on 17 April of leader Sondhi Limthongkul.
One leader blamed "Thaksin's lieutenants who could not accept defeat", but others called for calm.
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