Phuket Calm, But Red Shirts Alarm Bangkok

Phuket calm, but red shirts alarm Bangkok

PHUKET: -- The Thai government will likely enforce a state-of-emergency decree today to cope with the escalating security problem in Bangkok after tens of thousands of provincial protesters arrived in the capital yesterday.

A state of emergency, which would be on top of the current implementation of the Internal Security Act (ISA), would empower the military to fully take charge of the situation.

Under the ISA, soldiers can only help the police in maintaining law and order.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is expected to hold an emergency Cabinet meeting before the emergency decree is used, according to a senior government source.

Red shirts rallying for "democracy" yesterday threatened a mass march on Abhisit's hold-out if he does not dissolve the House of Representatives by noon today.

Tens of thousands of protesters gathering from across the country at the main rally stage on Rajdamnoen Avenue were prepared to lay siege to the Army's 11th Infantry Regiment on Phaholyothin, where the premier is temporarily billeted and manning a "war room".

Many demonstrators from the Northeast, North and other parts of the country arrived in Bangkok yesterday and earlier this morning, with their numbers expected to swell past 100,000 today, said Tawil Pliensri, secretary-general of the National Security Council.

But the North and Northeast of Thailand were not the only regions of the country represented in the capital's growing sea of red. Natthawut Saikua, the red-shirt spokesman, said today would see more arrivals from central, eastern and western provinces as well as from around Bangkok.

About 1,000 red-shirted protesters departed Phuket on Thursday to join the rally in Bangkok. However, Phuket is a bastion of Democrat support and there have been no anti-government activities here, nor are any expected by the Phuket provincial government.

Jatuporn Promphan, a key leader of the anti-government movement in Bangkok, said that at this stage the red shirts had no plan to march to Government House, Parliament House or the house of Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda.

"We're still confident the count will reach 1 million," he said.

-- Phuket Gazette 2010-03-14

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