Prawit assigns Army to draw up guidance handbook for officials dealing with protesters

[webfact]

Prawit assigns Army to draw up guidance handbook for officials dealing with protesters

By The Nation 

 

Lt-General Kongcheep Tantrawanit, the Defence Ministry spokesman

 

The defence minister has assigned the Royal Thai Army to prepare a handbook providing implementation guidelines for officials dealing with protesters, a ministry spokesman said on Monday.

 

Deputy Premier and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan made the assignment through Army commander-in-chief General Chalermchai Sitthisart while chairing a Defence Council meeting on Monday, spokesman Lt-General Kongcheep Tantrawanit said.

 

The Army chief attended the meeting in his capacity as secretary-general of the National Council for Peace and Order.

 

The handbook will offer implementation guidelines based on relevant laws and the principle of human rights, Kongcheep said.

 

“The handbook is meant to prevent clashes between officials and demonstrators. People involved must understand the legal framework. Human rights must not be violated. This is something the prime minister is concerned about,” he explained.

 

“The goal is to avoid problems that happened in the past – injuries, human-rights violations, or lack of understanding about laws,” he added.

 

The Army is working with the Justice Ministry in preparing the handbook, which is expected to be completed “as soon as possible”, the spokesman said.

 

He also said that the guidelines would comply with international practice in dealing with protesters, including a principle that officials are required to use light measures first and gradually increase the degree of toughness if the initial measures do not work. 

 

For example, he added, officials dealing with demonstrators would start by issuing a warning and if necessary then use water cannons, before adopting tougher measures.

 

A group of people calling for an early general election plan to hold a street rally this coming Saturday.

 

The Defence Ministry was asked to comment on what some have perceived as an attempt to create a situation intended to lead to a bloody military crackdown, as in 1992, which was later known as the Black May event. 

 

Kongcheep said the prevailing conditions in 1992 and at present were different, but security authorities were “following the matter”.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30344310

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-01

[coulson]

They better hurry up, 3 weeks to go!

 

[cornishcarlos]

49 minutes ago, webfact said:

officials dealing with demonstrators would start by issuing a warning and if necessary then use water cannons, before adopting tougher measures.

No timeline given between stages !! 

"stop protesting, hose the bastards, ok fire at will"

 

I guess they realise that with all their cheating, demonstrations are inevitable in the near future...

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Prawit assigns Army to draw up guidance handbook for officials dealing with protesters

“If you build the guts to do something, anything, then you better save enough to face the consequences.”
― Criss Jami,

[anon537687643]

“Human rights must not be violated . This is something the Prime Minister is concerned about” .....ah Thais can sleep well knowing that!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

 

[jonclark]

I thought it was the police's job to deal with protests??

[stephen tracy]

9 minutes ago, jonclark said:

I thought it was the police's job to deal with protests??

Not anymore! 

[Chang_paarp]

13 minutes ago, jonclark said:

I thought it was the police's job to deal with protests??

It is, but, they are getting instructions from their masters. A new rule book is being produced, just to remind them who hold the reigns.

[yellowboat]

But can they read ?

[Odysseus123]

Geez..they have had over 80 years and plenty of practice but they are still sadly lacking the manual:Oh well,they will just have to wing it,I guess..

[PatOngo]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Prawit assigns Army to draw up guidance handbook for officials dealing with protesters

[mikebell]

1 hour ago, jonclark said:

I thought it was the police's job to deal with protests??

They can't deal with drunk drivers.

[mikebell]

Handbook Rule 1 - All protesters to be placed in holding cells; all watches to be removed for their own safety; pictures of said watches to be sent to me and I will deal with this matter personally.

[Cadbury]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

"......start by issuing a warning and if necessary then use water cannons, before adopting tougher measures".

Songkran on a grander scale. Takes me back to 2010 when the water cannons were parked in the streets of Bangkok.

I don't want to start a debate about the rights and wrongs of 2010 but I still have the little red booklet with the interesting title:

                                                 "United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship"

[Eligius]

:Human rights must not be violated. This is something the prime minister is concerned about ..."

 

OK, that's enough! I don't need to read any more of this drivel. 

 

The moon is made of green cheese, did you know? And Hitler loved all Jews ....

[Somtamnication]

You need a manual to learn how to LOCK AND LOAD? 

[candide]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

including a principle that officials are required to use light measures first and gradually increase the degree of toughness if the initial measures do not work. 

In another country, it would be understood that this is to prevent them from excessive use of force.

But in our case, could it be that it is to prevent officials from not increasing the degree of toughness if the initial measures do no work. It can also protect officials from being prosecuted: "yes, we killed them all but we followed the official procedure" (procedure for which the author is covered by an amnesty).

Maybe I have a nasty mind, but....

 

[mtls2005]

Rule #1: If they're red, shoot them. (If they're red, they're dead.) And stock more ammo.

Rule #2: If they're yellow, coddle them. (If they're yellow, let them mellow.)

 

 

[holy cow cm]

He only cares because he just sniffed the USA's rear end. 

[smedly]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Prawit assigns Army to draw up guidance handbook for officials dealing with protesters

the army should not be involved in civil matters except in very very exceptional circumstances, they also should not be involved in creating their own "code of conduct" guide, that again is a civil matter. 

[smedly]

3 hours ago, jonclark said:

I thought it was the police's job to deal with protests??

correct, and in civil matters the rules that apply to the police should also apply to the army.

[colinneil]

8 minutes ago, smedly said:

the army should not be involved in civil matters except in very very exceptional circumstances, they also should not be involved in creating their own "code of conduct" guide, that again is a civil matter. 

Yes the army should not be involved in civil matters, but remember where you are.

Here the army top brass believe that they know how to deal with things, everyone else are just brain dead morons in their eyes.

[Eligius]

3 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Yes the army should not be involved in civil matters, but remember where you are.

Here the army top brass believe that they know how to deal with things, everyone else are just brain dead morons in their eyes.

Right, Colinneil! And the biggest (saddest) joke is that the army and 'leaders' of this nation are the most brain-dead morons one could ever hope to find - or rather, hope NOT to find!

 

[chainarong]

Officials can either use one tank or spray the crap out of them with an M16 if second hand M60 available use that and if down by the ocean use a submarine.........................................

[chainarong]

3 minutes ago, Eligius said:

Right, Colinneil! And the biggest (saddest) joke is that the army and 'leaders' of this nation are the most brain-dead morons one could ever hope to find - or rather, hope NOT to find!

 

You under estimate Eligius, not a good thing to do........................................

[ChrisY1]

Live ammo!

[sawadee1947]

a "book" is not necessary just one word: kill

[Happyman58]

New rules for handbook to handed to soldiers against protestors during election

 

1/  Shoot to kill 

 

2/ Call in Tanks when crowd behavior is getting out of hand

 

3/ Arrest the ringleaders straight away so the soldiers have control

 

4/ Hear any bad words about the PM shoot ask questions later

 

5/ No plackards

 

6/ Gathering of more than 6 arrest then straight away

 

7/ Hear the word freedom straight way arrest them

 

8/ Any demands for free elections and results instant arrest

 

 

[Happyman58]

1 hour ago, colinneil said:

Yes the army should not be involved in civil matters, but remember where you are.

Here the army top brass believe that they know how to deal with things, everyone else are just brain dead morons in their eyes.

The cops control a crowd here. No chance. They cant even control a crowd at a rooster fight match

[baboon]

4 minutes ago, Happyman58 said:

The cops control a crowd here. No chance. They cant even control a crowd at a rooster fight match

'Can't' and 'Can't be bothered to' are two entirely different things...