Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva plans to impose stringent measures under the Internal Security Act from Saturday to Tuesday in order to safeguard se-curity within Bangkok following the red-shirt protesters' threat to stage a rally to bring down the government.
Abhisit said he would appoint Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban to be in charge of the enforcement of the internal-security law.
The core leaders of the red shirts have vowed to stage an anti-government rally on Sunday at the Royal Plaza. The government has estimated several tens of thousands will likely participate.
Abhisit said unlike an emer-gency decree, the enforcement of the Internal Security Act was aimed at pre-empting any violence. An emergency decree is normally invoked after violence has taken place.
The enforcement of this law, in which the police and the military authorities as well as top policy-makers from the government will work as a team, will be limited to Dusit district, where the rally is expected to take place.
"Although the protesters have said the rally will not be violent like during Songkran, we cannot remain complacent. A 'third party' might step in to take advantage of the situation. Accidents can happen," said Abhisit.
He insisted the government respected the right to stage a demonstration, but it also had a duty to ensure law and order.
TURMOIL FEARS
Abhisit is afraid the red shirts' rally, staged in support of ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his return to Thailand, might damage confidence at a time when the economy is improving and expected to register positive growth in the fourth quarter.
PM's Office Minister Satit Wongnongtaey said the rally was aimed at creating political turmoil leading to a sudden change in government.
"Some members of the red shirts do not want the same kind of violence as in April to happen again. But other members would like to resort to violence to bring about a sudden change in government," he said.
Satit said while the red shirts had the right to stage a demonstration and exercise free speech, if they were to shut down traffic or create violence, that would be a different matter.
"They [some elements of the anti-government movement] want to create violence and then lay the blame on the government, so that it loses its legitimacy to continue to run the country," said Panithan Wattanayagorn, acting government spokesman.
During yesterday's Cabinet discussion of the Internal Security Act, Chumpol Silapa-archa, the tourism and sports minister, asked the prime minister whether en-forcing this tough law would af-fect confidence in the tourism industry.
"I don't know, because I do not belong to the red-shirt group. But if there is a threat of an unusual situation, we must step in to manage things," Abhisit replied.
Chumpol also asked whether the government planned to invoke the Internal Security Act but not actually enforce it.
Abhisit replied: "Once we have declared the Internal Security Act, we have to implement it."
Source: The Nation
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