Bangkok Red-Shirt Rally - Live Wednesday

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THE NATION: Urgent: Cabinet is having an emergency meeting at 11th Regiment. Speculation about state of emergency decree is rife now.

THE NATION: Police Hospital prepares the blood supply & medical staff just in case Govt disperses the mob.#ch3

THE NATION: Interesting. Weng&Jatuporn now saying Arisman was acting on his own in parliament raid. R they sensing legal action coming?

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THE NATION: Thursday's House session cancelled due to safety reason House Speaker Chai Chidchob on Wednesday's afternoon

THE NATION: Banharn is v bitter about dissolution of his party last yr, but insists the storming of Paliament today "is not right."

THE NATION: Who can possibly replace Abhisit as PM? Banharn mentioned Chuan Leekpai.

THE NATION: Asked to cmmnt on his brother Chumpol having to climb parliament wall to escape, Banharn said: "I had done that too. No fun at all."

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THE NATION: Protesters are still in front of ThaiCom on Ratanathibet and the traffic -both inbound and outbound - on NgarmWongWan are heavily congested.

THE NATION: State of emergency speculation getting louder now. Pls stay tuned.

THE NATION: Seem the Govt is waiting for Banharn's act to fade before it'll announce it 'grand' plan. Rumour on State of Emergency is getting louder...

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Banharn opposes PTV shut-down, worries about emergency rule

BANGKOK: -- Chart Thai Pattana Party chief adviser Banharn Silapa-Archa on Wednesday rejected the idea of shutting down PTV station on the ground that it might be construed as double standard because other satellite television stations of certain political leanings are still allowed to open.

Banharn also said he was worrying that the government might enforce the emergency decree in order to disperse the red shirts.

-- The Nation 2010-04-07

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THE NATION: Reports, unofficial, of course, are flooding in about impending state of emergency.

TAN Network: Red-shirts show documents from CAPO ordering closure of PTV; show image of Democrat MP holding Uzi in Parliament

THE NATION: Red shirt leaders called for another big day of red rally on April 9:PTV

TAN Network: Govt announcement expected at around 6 p.m. via TV Pool

THE NATION: In meantime, how bout this fr Banharn. Asked if exPM Somchai shud also play peacemaker, he said: "Why so many? Let's invite Samak then."

THE NATION: Natthawut said rally on Friday'll be the biggest rally ever they had done (to oust the Abhisit govt) : PTV

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THE NATION: Red shirt leaders called for another big day of red rally on April 9:PTV

THE NATION: Natthawut said rally on Friday'll be the biggest rally ever they had done (to oust the Abhisit govt) : PTV

TAN network: Red-shirts to bring in supporters from the provinces for another major activity on Friday Apr 9; group to celebrate Songkran in capital

THE NATION: Meanwhile, the Reds stage is heated as Jatuporn told supporters that" we must go through this night...so we can have checkmate on Friday"

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THE NATION: PM Abhisit is on TV now

Govt announcment now

THE NATION: Govt press con is about to begin - a full house of 12 people including Abhisit.

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THE NATION: PM: "We have tried to enforce ISA but our oprations failed to resolve the situation and the rally has caused trouble and violated the laws"

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THE NATION: "Cabinet therefore has decided to declare state of emergency in Bangkok and nearby provinces."

THE NATION: "We want to facilitate other actions to restore peace and order."

THE NATION: "Our goal is to restore normalcy."

THE NATION: "Actions will be in accordance with the law and international standard."

THE NATION: "We are facing a very serious situation."

THE NATION: "We would like to urge people taking part in the rally to not participate in it."

THE NATION: PM has ended his announcement.

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Related topic:

State Of Emergency Decree Imposed In Bangkok

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/State-Emerge...Ba-t354024.html

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TAN Network: red-shirts announce war against govt after state of emergency announced; ask supporters nationwide to lay seige to provincial town halls

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State of emergency declared

By The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva conceded the enforcement of Internal Security Act (ISA) had failed to deter the protests by the red shirts.

Abhisit then deemed it necessary to invoke the emergency decree over Bangkok. Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban has been appointed to supervise the emergency rule.

"We want to facilitate other actions to restore peace and order. The actions will be in accordance with the law and international standard," Abhisit said in a TV-pool broadcast.

The prime minister reaffirmed that the emergency rule would not mean an imminent crackdown on protesters but to become an effective tool to enforce the laws, including the legal proceedings against red shirts leaders.

He promised to restore the nolmacy as soon as possible.

The emergency rule covers Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom.

-- The Nation 2010-04-07

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THE NATION:

SOE law gives authorities extensive power to tackle public gatherings, news dissemination, use of public places and transport.

The empowered authorities can arrest, detain, interrogate suspects, "search or demolish" places or structures if necessary.

Also expansive powers given to authorities to censor/prohibit publications and communications.

As for curfew, not yet. That will depends on the empowered authorities (suthep committee)

Another important point of SOE, soldiers, who have played secondary role under ISA, will have a bigger role, leading even.

Suspects can be detained for seven days, with seven-day extension each time but overall period of detention must not exceed 30days.

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Thai PM declares state of emergency in Bangkok

by Anusak Konglang

BANGKOK (AFP) - Thailand's embattled premier declared a state of emergency in Bangkok Wednesday after protesters stormed parliament in a dramatic escalation of their bid to topple the government.

Lawmakers fled and several senior government figures were airlifted by military helicopter after red-shirted supporters of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra forced their way into the country's parliamentary compound.

In an effort to contain the crisis, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva invoked emergency rule, which bans public gatherings of more than five people and gives broad powers to the police and military.

"The state of emergency aims to resolve the situation and bring a return to normal," Abhisit told a nationally televised press conference.

He said the mass rallies were unconstitutional and had tarnished the country's image, eroding investor confidence.

It is the fourth time since 2008 that emergency law has been declared in the capital because of political turmoil.

Abhisit left a cabinet meeting at parliament when he learnt that the Reds were approaching, moving to a military barracks in the city's northern outskirts, where he has mostly been based since the protests began mid-March.

Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters have refused to leave Bangkok's main commercial district, where they have been since Saturday, disrupting traffic and causing major shopping centres to shut.

The red-clad movement remained defiant, vowing to keep up their action.

"I gamble my life with this dictator government," said Reds leader Jatuporn Prompan.

The Reds, mostly from Thailand's rural poor and working class, say the government is illegitimate because it came to power with army backing through a parliamentary vote in December 2008 after a court ousted Thaksin's allies.

Abhisit cancelled a planned trip to the United States for a nuclear security summit next week due to the unrest.

The Reds have been emboldened after the police and army backed down on Tuesday following a tense standoff in the capital's tourist heartland.

The authorities have threatened the protesters with a year in jail but so far no arrests have been made.

Security forces have refrained from using force to disperse the tens of thousands of protesters, who have been roaming the capital.

The government said it would act if needed to end the protests, but reiterated that it wanted a peaceful resolution to the standoff.

The mainly poor and rural followers of Thaksin, a billionaire telecoms tycoon who lives abroad to avoid a jail term for corruption, fervently support the populist policies he introduced before his ouster in a 2006 coup.

Thaksin sought to rally his supporters on Wednesday in a brief message through the micro-blogging service Twitter, praising their "courage, patience and unity."

On Tuesday protesters threw plastic bottles, pushed against police barricades and later took over the streets of central Bangkok on motorcycles and in pick-up trucks, pouring into the capital's financial district.

The military has mounted a heavy security response, deploying 50,000 personnel at one point to try to contain the protests, which drew as many as 100,000 people on the first day on March 14.

But the government wants to avoid a repeat of last April's clashes with Red Shirts that left two people dead, six months after riot police took on the rival Yellow Shirts in bloody scenes outside parliament.

In the latest unexplained blast since the rallies began, police said a grenade exploded shortly after midnight next to a supermarket in Bangkok, injuring one man.

-- ©Copyright AFP 2010-04-07

Published with written approval from AFP.

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THE NATION: For public bus routes - please call 184 - updated routes especially those near the Ratchaprasong rally site.

THE NATION: Our reporter at Rajprasong said tonite's crowd is noticeably smaller than two previous nites.

THE NATION: However, our reporter said reds on motorbikes were pouring into the venue. all kinds of vehicles being used as bunkers at entry points.

THE NATION: Thai red news - an official SMS news of Reds - sent last msg at 7pm, saying that the service has to stop thanks to SOE.

THE NATION: Reds leaders told the crowd to get peper and fire crackers ready just in case they encounter police guard dogs.//poor dogs.

THE NATION: The pepper and fire crackers strategy is from Nattawut, prolly not a pet lover!

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THE NATION: Suthep is speaking on TV

THE NATION: Accompanying Suthep include Anupong and all generals. He asked ppl not to believe rumours. Govt will keep everyone informed.

THE NATION: Any protesters want to. Go home, we have provided transportation, said Suthep.

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UDD marching to city halls after State of Emergency declared

BANGKOK (NNT) -- Core leaders of the anti-government United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) have urged their supporters across the country to mobilize to provincial city halls in response to the government’s declaration of the State of Emergency.

The rally sentiment at Ratchaprasong Junction has tensed up after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva imposed the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations in the evening, covering the capital and adjoining provinces. UDD core figures Nattawut Saikua and Arisman Pongruangrong immediately called for the demonstrators to come out and gather at the main rally sites at Ratchaprasong and Phan Fah Bridge. UDD supporters all over the country were also encouraged to converge at the city hall of their province.

The State of Emergency was announced at 18.00 hrs today after the downtown mass rally of the UDD was considered a threat to the national security and the public safety. The activation is effective from 7 April 2010 in Bangkok and Nonthaburi as well as some districts in the central provinces of Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Nakhon Pathom, and Ayutthaya.

-- NNT 2010-04-07

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THE NATION: Red leaders said the signal of Red Ch. via C-band satellite is cut but audience can still watch it via other broadcast channel. #Ch3

THE NATION: Some police force station at Lumpini park but there is no military force there. An additional checkpoint is set up on Henry Dunant Rd.#Ch3

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Live updates Thursday, April 8

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Bangkok-Red-...ur-t354182.html