Thailand invokes special law for huge rally
Source: Agencies |
November 24, 2012, Saturday
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THAILAND has invoked a special security law for an anti-government rally today that may be the largest since Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra took office in 2011. Thousands of police officers will be deployed at the rally, which officials fear could turn violent.
Authorities expect tens of thousands of protesters, a turnout that would serve as a sharp reminder of the deep political tensions in the country despite two years of relative calm.
The demonstration is being organized by a royalist group calling itself "Pitak Siam" - or "Protect Thailand" - at Bangkok's Royal Plaza, a public space near Parliament that has been used by protesters in the past.
Led by retired army General Boonlert Kaewprasit, the group accuses Yingluck's government of corruption, ignoring insults to the revered monarchy and being a puppet of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin, Yingluck's brother, was ousted by a 2006 coup that sent the country into spasms of political upheaval.
While the group is a newcomer to Thailand's protest scene, it is linked to the infamous "Yellow Shirt" protesters, whose rallies led to Thaksin's overthrow. They later toppled a Thaksin ally after invading and shutting Bangkok's two airports for a week in 2008.
Yingluck is taking today's rally seriously. Her Cabinet invoked the Internal Security Act on Thursday in three Bangkok districts around the protest site, and she later addressed the nation to explain the move, citing concerns of violence.
"If a large number of people are mobilized by incitement ... and there is evidence that violence may be used to achieve those ends, then this is a case of national security," Yingluck said.
The security act allows authorities to close roads, impose curfews and ban use of electronic devices in designated areas. Measures began taking effect on Thursday night, with police closing roads around Yingluck's office, the Government House, and placing extra security at the homes of senior officials, including the prime minister.
National police chief spokesman Major General Piya Uthayo said yesterday that nearly 17,000 police officers had been called in from around the country to provide security for the rally.
Thailand has been gripped by bouts of political instability since 2006, with Thaksin's supporters and opponents taking turns to spar over who has the right to rule the country.
Authorities expect tens of thousands of protesters, a turnout that would serve as a sharp reminder of the deep political tensions in the country despite two years of relative calm.
The demonstration is being organized by a royalist group calling itself "Pitak Siam" - or "Protect Thailand" - at Bangkok's Royal Plaza, a public space near Parliament that has been used by protesters in the past.
Led by retired army General Boonlert Kaewprasit, the group accuses Yingluck's government of corruption, ignoring insults to the revered monarchy and being a puppet of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin, Yingluck's brother, was ousted by a 2006 coup that sent the country into spasms of political upheaval.
While the group is a newcomer to Thailand's protest scene, it is linked to the infamous "Yellow Shirt" protesters, whose rallies led to Thaksin's overthrow. They later toppled a Thaksin ally after invading and shutting Bangkok's two airports for a week in 2008.
Yingluck is taking today's rally seriously. Her Cabinet invoked the Internal Security Act on Thursday in three Bangkok districts around the protest site, and she later addressed the nation to explain the move, citing concerns of violence.
"If a large number of people are mobilized by incitement ... and there is evidence that violence may be used to achieve those ends, then this is a case of national security," Yingluck said.
The security act allows authorities to close roads, impose curfews and ban use of electronic devices in designated areas. Measures began taking effect on Thursday night, with police closing roads around Yingluck's office, the Government House, and placing extra security at the homes of senior officials, including the prime minister.
National police chief spokesman Major General Piya Uthayo said yesterday that nearly 17,000 police officers had been called in from around the country to provide security for the rally.
Thailand has been gripped by bouts of political instability since 2006, with Thaksin's supporters and opponents taking turns to spar over who has the right to rule the country.
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