ESTELI, Nicaragua -- Honduras reinforced its southern border with Nicaragua Thursday as the country's ousted president, Manuel Zelaya, said he will try to cross the frontier, possibly within hours or during the next few days.

At Las Manos, a usually sleepy border crossing with Nicaragua, police in riot gear and soldiers with M-16s patrolled the area, telling travelers that they would not be able to cross until afternoon.

Zelaya, who was ousted June 28, is threatening to lead a caravan of supporters across one of Honduras' three international frontiers to reclaim the presidency. He has spent much of this week in Nicaragua, where he has found a staunch ally in President Daniel Ortega, leading many to believe it's along Honduras' southern flank that he will make his move.

The interim government of Roberto Micheletti has said Zelaya will be arrested on sight, and few believe that encounter will happen without bloodshed.

``I will go back unarmed, pacifically, so that Honduras can return to peace and tranquility,'' Zelaya told The Associated Press in a news conference late Wednesday in Managua. ``My wife and kids will accompany me, and the military will be responsible for any harm'' that befalls them.

Key to Zelaya's return, aides say, is being able to gather a protective crowd of supporters on the Honduran side of the border.

On Thursday, police seemed to be thwarting attempts by Hondurans to congregate near the border.

Antonio Cartagena, 71, said he traveled with about 40 others from Sonaguera, a town in the Honduran department of Colón, to await Zelaya at Las Manos -- one of three official border crossings with Nicaragua. Cartagena said police detained their bus about nine miles outside of town, and only about a dozen passengers were able to make it to the border by walking and hitchhiking.

Cartagena said at least four other buses had been detained before they could reach the border.

``We're here to welcome a good man back to the country,'' said Cartagena. ``The government claims they are not restricting our travel or speech, but what do you call this?''

Zelaya won fans among the poor by raising the minimum wage and subsidizing gasoline for cab divers, among other measures. Never without a white cowboy hat and a thick mustache, he exuded a folksy charm that had been in short supply in Honduran politics. His populist leanings also brought him close to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, and in 2008, Honduras joined the ALBA trade bloc, which is headed by Venezuela and includes Cuba, Nicaragua and Bolivia.

Zelaya's fall came as he aggressively pursued a national referendum that might have allowed him to redraft the constitution. With just six months left in his term, his foes -- including congress, the courts and the attorney general's office -- said the move was a power grab. The supreme court ordered his arrest and the army moved in on June 28, sending him into exile.

Honduras has found itself internationally isolated since the event. The Organization of American States, the United Nations and the European Union have condemned the coup and asked for Zelaya's return.

On Wednesday, a last-ditch effort to find a negotiated solution to the crisis broke down in Costa Rica.

Tensions, which had been easing in Honduras, are expected to flare Thursday as Zelaya's supporters have called for a national strike. While organizers were counting on the support of the powerful teachers' union, many schools in rural Honduras appeared to be open and functioning normally.

Zelaya was expected to provide more details about his plans during a press conference in Managua Thursday afternoon.

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