BURNING ISSUE
Govt invokes Security Act at the drop of a hat
ATTAYUTH BOOTSRIPOOM
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- THE GOVERNMENT has again opted to invoke the Internal Security Act (ISA) after a small group of protesters this week began a street demonstration outside Government House.

It appears the government has become "addicted" to the ISA, and it seems unable to stop using it to deal with protesters. The ISA has been invoked repeatedly, every time anti-government protesters gather in Bangkok.

The current administration invoked the ISA for the first time when anti-government group Pitak Siam staged a rally at the Royal Plaza last November. The group announced a plan to oust the government from power, but the government invoked the act, which portrayed the group in a bad light. Thousands of crowd-control police were mobilised, and they were well equipped to deal with the protesters.

On the very first day of the anti-government rally, police fired tear gas at the protesters during several clashes. The protest leaders decided to end the rally before sunset, citing security reasons.

The ISA was praised as an important tool for controlling the situation. Since that success, the government has consistently turned to the ISA when faced with protesters in the capital.

In the latest development, the People's Army to Overthrow the Thaksin Regime on Monday night moved from its previous protest site at Lumpini Park to set up camp just outside Government House. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang is scheduled to visit Thailand from today (Oct 11), including stops at Government House and nearby Parliament House. The authorities therefore saw the need to drive away the protesters as soon as possible.

The protesters have been portrayed as troublemakers. Some government officials said that more anti-government groups would be joining the rally, including the 56 groups taking part in the civic sector's political-reform efforts. They claimed some state agencies or important locations in Bangkok would be seized.

Despite the troubling claims, only a few hundred people took part in the rally outside Government House on the first day.

The ISA should in fact only be declared when there is widespread unrest, and not when a few hundred people protest against the government.

It is not unusual that the government is concerned about the protesters. But it should have opted for a more appropriate measure to deal with them. The rally has been peaceful and the protesters are unarmed, which is in line with the Constitution. The protesters have the right to stage a public gathering, even if it is held just outside Government House.

If they wanted to save face for |the government during the Chinese premier's visit, officials could have opted to negotiate with the protest leaders so the rally does not affect |his trip to Government House.

Unnecessarily, the government opted to deal aggressively with the protesters by invoking the ISA and mobilising hundreds of crowd-control police, which is only threatening to make things worse.

However, a good sign emerged yesterday when the protesters agreed to move their rally back to Lumpini Park during the Chinese premier's visit, before considering to return to Government House. This move came after a meeting between the protest leaders and Deputy Prime Minister Pracha Promnog, who is in charge of security affairs.


-- The Nation 2013-10-11

Amazing that when the ISA was activated in 2010 to quell the reds there wasn't a policeman to be found. The police are as corrupt as can be and they support Thaksin, go figure!

Also funny how, when the PTP first got into power they would not use the ISA under any circumstances, they were afraid to do so.......until they got their Generals in at the top of the Army. Woe is me, woe is Thailand.

That's about the only thing they can invoke at a drop of the hat.

That's about the only thing they can invoke at a drop of the hat.

I'm not sure about that, they seem to be invoking impending economic disaster at the drop of a hat.

Amazing that when the ISA was activated in 2010 to quell the reds there wasn't a policeman to be found. The police are as corrupt as can be and they support Thaksin, go figure!

Also funny how, when the PTP first got into power they would not use the ISA under any circumstances, they were afraid to do so.......until they got their Generals in at the top of the Army. Woe is me, woe is Thailand.

Thaksin does control the police for sure.

My Thai wife used to work at the local police station and still sees her friends there regularly.

They are well aware that if they want to progress then they have to tow the party line. This was very forcibly pointed out at the last election when all officers were instructed to vote PT.

Sent from my GT-I9003 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

A few issues with the article which states this:

It appears the government has become "addicted" to the ISA, and it seems unable to stop using it to deal with protesters. The ISA has been invoked repeatedly, every time anti-government protesters gather in Bangkok.

and then continues on to mention the TWO occasions it has been invoked this being the other time.

And why are they issuing it? I add a paraphrase of my reply to another thread on the subject from yesterday

OK, so you're outside of the Thai Government House with your 230 mates (where you are allowed to demonstrate under police guidance). 230 mates organised by people who happen to be the same old dinosaurs who organised events like this the last time this type of "event" happened. You arrange for 56 other anti government groups to turn up just for one day, lets say for example, when the Chinese PM turns up at Government House and start trouble.

Now tell me who gains and who loses from that scenario?

To cap it all we have this from the OP

If they wanted to save face for |the government during the Chinese premier's visit, officials could have opted to negotiate with the protest leaders so the rally does not affect |his trip to Government House...............However, a good sign emerged yesterday when the protesters agreed to move their rally back to Lumpini Park during the Chinese premier's visit, before considering to return to Government House. This move came after a meeting between the protest leaders and Deputy Prime Minister Pracha Promnog, who is in charge of security affairs.

The author seems to have neglected to contact his fellow staff who reported yesterday that

BANGKOK: -- Deputy Prime Minister Pracha Promnok refused to talk with People's Army against the Thaksin Regime after the second round of talks between police and the group's leaders failed to reach any consensus on Thursday morning.

The People’s Army leaders had demanded that Pracha come out to hold talks with them outside Government House but Pracha declined.
He said he would answer a motion submitted by MPs during a House meeting. "I have assigned the representatives of the Peacekeeping Centre to talk with protestors," he said. Rally organisers said they would vacate the rally site at Government House Friday to pave way for the visit of the Chinese premier if Pracha would personally endorse the deal.

Amazing that when the ISA was activated in 2010 to quell the reds there wasn't a policeman to be found. The police are as corrupt as can be and they support Thaksin, go figure!

Also funny how, when the PTP first got into power they would not use the ISA under any circumstances, they were afraid to do so.......until they got their Generals in at the top of the Army. Woe is me, woe is Thailand.

I also recall that Abhisit was strongly criticised for using the ISA as it was "an infringement of the rights of the Red Shirt movement" to protest against the government...!

I also recall that Abhisit was strongly criticised for using the ISA as it was "an infringement of the rights of the Red Shirt movement" to protest against the government...!

That was because the actual document was not printed out in red.

If memory serves correctly one of the government lackeys said that Thaksin had relayed a "rumor" that his intelligence people had heard there was to be a attempt to overthrow the current government this month.Thus the implementation of the ISA. I guess the had to do something befor one of the several loudmouths called press conference and proclaimed that none should worry as we are monitoring the situation.

It might have been just a drill to see how quickly from the call from 'big brother' for the declartion of ISA and a public notification could be handled.

An ISA in placed thousands of police in attendance and thugs can still throw molotov cocktails at the protestors

An ISA in placed thousands of police in attendance and thugs can still throw molotov cocktails at the protestors

The word collusion springs to my mind and no doubt others minds too

The army can step in any time at the drop of a hat and remove a popular elected government.......ISA is useless as the military will just sit back and disobey the govt directives. Remember the airport? They're working for someone else.

The army can step in any time at the drop of a hat and remove a popular elected government.......ISA is useless as the military will just sit back and disobey the govt directives. Remember the airport? They're working for someone else.

Are you saying the military protested at the airport? More perverted facts from the Redshirt history of Thailand, as taught in Red schools. I believe they adopt the Mushroom principle of education, keep them in the dark and feed them on bullsit.

Another opportunity to stifle public debate on the miserable PTP performance, this has been adopted from history and works well in un democratic styled governments, any decent by the public, to point out the short comings of this administration will always be meet with offence, they do not like being put in the spot light on issues they cannot control, flooding comes to mind this week, shortly it will be the repayments on a 2.2tn Bht loan.

No he's not.

The army march to a different tune.

At the airport the police were unarmed and were unable to remove the pad who remained for 10 days helping to strand some 300,000 tourists.

Another opportunity to stifle public debate on the miserable PTP performance, this has been adopted from history and works well in un democratic styled governments, any decent by the public, to point out the short comings of this administration will always be meet with offence, they do not like being put in the spot light on issues they cannot control, flooding comes to mind this week, shortly it will be the repayments on a 2.2tn Bht loan.

Still on the other hand you have the dems who have just decided not to instigate any reforms to their party structure.

Having been told there are 2 million members we see they have no influence,

After all abhisit resigned after the last election defeat but was unanimously re-elected by his mps.

Inflammatory troll posts and replies have been removed.