Thailand to deploy 15,000 police, troops for 'shutdown'

[webfact]

Thailand to deploy 15,000 police, troops for 'shutdown'

BANGKOK, January 8, 2014 (AFP) - Nearly 15,000 police and soldiers will be deployed in the Thai capital next week for the planned "shutdown" of Bangkok by demonstrators trying to overthrow the government, officials said Wednesday.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has called February elections following weeks of opposition street protests. But the demonstrators have vowed to block the vote, which they fear will only prolong the political dominance of her billionaire family.

The protesters say they will occupy the capital from January 13 until they win their battle to topple the government.

They plan to set up stages around the city, preventing officials from going to work and cutting off power and water to state buildings.

The government is mobilising 14,880 police and soldiers for the mass rally, national police spokesman Piya Uthayo said in a televised briefing.

"Our goal is to prevent any violence or clashes," he said.

Thai stocks and the baht currency have fallen sharply on concerns that the deepening crisis will scare off foreign tourists and international investment.

Singapore Airlines has already cancelled 19 flights to Bangkok between 14 January and 25 February.

Bangkok city authorities have instructed 146 schools to close on Monday because of the shutdown.

Officials say the government is ready to declare a state of emergency if needed to deal with any unrest, following several outbreaks of street violence in which eight people, including a policeman, have been killed and hundreds wounded.

Critics say the protesters want to provoke fresh clashes in the hope of triggering a military coup on the pretext of restoring order -- an accusation the demonstrators deny.

Thailand has been periodically shaken by political bloodshed since Yingluck's older brother Thaksin Shinawatra was toppled by royalist generals in a coup seven years ago.

The demonstrators, who largely comprise southerners, royalists, middle-class Thais and urban elite, accuse the billionaire tycoon-turned-politician of corruption, and say he controls his sister's government from his self-exile in Dubai.

They want an unelected "people's council" to run the country to oversee vague reforms, such as an end to alleged "vote buying" through populist policies, before new elections are held in around a year to 18 months.

Yingluck's government still enjoys strong support in the north and northeast of the country and is expected to win the February 2 election if it goes ahead.

The recent civil strife is the worst since 2010, when more than 90 people were killed in a bloody military crackdown on pro-Thaksin Red Shirt protests under the previous government.

Ex-deputy premier Suthep Thaugsuban was due in court Wednesday to face a murder indictment over those deaths, but he asked for another postponement because he is leading the current protests.

If he fails to appear again prosecutors will seek an warrant for his arrest, the attorney general's office said, in addition to an existing warrant for insurrection for trying to topple the government.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-01-08

[Tatsujin]

Will the Police do their jobs this time, unlike in 2010?

[siampolee]

Tatsujin post # 2

Will the Police do their jobs this time, unlike in 2010?

Impossible.

Their weapons are of course ''non lethal'' and for show only hence the military will be on hand to ensure that the police have a clear escape route in the event of being confronted with a crowd of P.R.D.C

[ramrod711]

Yingluck to face murder charges, if it's good enough for Abhisit and Suthep it's good enough for the darling of Surin. I know all the people on TV who bleat about the police not doing their jobs will support this, after all in a democracy everyone is supposed to be treated equally.

[kurtgruen]

14400 Police and 480 Military, they managed to buy or rent?

[Lingba]

15,000 police...so what!...they will stand around handing out flowers to the protestors

[LuckyLew]

Will the Police do their jobs this time, unlike in 2010?

doubt it ... they will sit on roof tops and shoot at each other

[ChrisY1]

"Our goal is to prevent any violence or clashes," he said.

Not going to execute the 3 warrents for Suthep???.....Uphold the law?.....just (try to) prevent violence...

[MMarlow]

Yingluck to face murder charges, if it's good enough for Abhisit and Suthep it's good enough for the darling of Surin. I know all the people on TV who bleat about the police not doing their jobs will support this, after all in a democracy everyone is supposed to be treated equally.

But unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) nobody except TV members give a monkey's about what is said on this forum so that support you refer to is purely academic. (Apart, of course, from those TV members who are eligible to vote in Thailand).

[MMarlow]

"Our goal is to prevent any violence or clashes," he said.

Not going to execute the 3 warrents for Suthep???.....Uphold the law?.....just (try to) prevent violence...

Have warrants been issued for his arrest? I don't think so; he's only been issued with summonses to answer the charges and he's been allowed to postpone showing up for those up to now. It's only when he finally fails to appear as required by the summonses that arrest warrrants will be issued.

[seajae]

notice how this mob always claim thaksin is in self exile, no mention of being a wanted criminal and facing further criminal charges if he ever returns. The AFP are an appologist news organization for the ptp and thaksin, their reports are so biased it isnt funny and they are never truthful, just innuendo. Trouble is no one has the balls to print the truth, this mob are just full of shit, they never mention the graft that a lot of ptp members are facing, the graft from all the govt contracts, the rice scam and all the billions it is losing but then that would be too truthful and thaksin would be upset with them......

Edited January 8, 2014 by seajae

[kurtgruen]

Will the Police do their jobs this time, unlike in 2010?

doubt it ... they will sit on roof tops and shoot at each other

Good one

...or the might be enjoying a free Carabao concert and decide to switch sides.

[fish fingers]

so.. when did the red shirt promise of 80,000 police become less than 15,000? Its going to be a walkover.

[EricBerg]

"Our goal is to prevent any violence or clashes," he said.

Not going to execute the 3 warrents for Suthep???.....Uphold the law?.....just (try to) prevent violence...

Have warrants been issued for his arrest? I don't think so; he's only been issued with summonses to answer the charges and he's been allowed to postpone showing up for those up to now. It's only when he finally fails to appear as required by the summonses that arrest warrrants will be issued.

http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/se-asia/story/insurrection-warrant-issued-thai-protest-leader-suthep-police-20131202

There's the news about the december 2nd arrest warrant. Easy to google it.

Edited January 8, 2014 by EricBerg

[noitom]

"Preventing officials from going to work," as if they ever really did any work.

[monkeycountry]

15.000 police on the streets guarantees that the shutdown will be at least a partial success, as even if the protesters do not manage to block the streets, that amount of police is guaranteed to block them

[thesetat2013]

What diffence does 15000 police make if millions if thai show for this protest! 75 or more people per policeman are not good odds even if they are armed.

Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[monkeycountry]

What diffence does 15000 police make if millions if thai show for this protest! 75 or more people per policeman are not good odds even if they are armed. Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

True, if millions show up, 15,000 police won't make a difference. But lets say only 15,000 protesters show up, then the total amount of people blocking the roads will be 30,000 as the police will also be blocking the roads by their mere presence. If no protesters show up at all, there will still be 15,000 police + all their vehicles blocking the roads. I simply find it ironic, and a bit funny, that the government in their effort to prevent the protesters from blocking the roads, will actually be helping the protesters block the roads

[Johnnie99]

notice how this mob always claim thaksin is in self exile, no mention of being a wanted criminal and facing further criminal charges if he ever returns. The AFP are an appologist news organization for the ptp and thaksin, their reports are so biased it isnt funny and they are never truthful, just innuendo. Trouble is no one has the balls to print the truth, this mob are just full of shit, they never mention the graft that a lot of ptp members are facing, the graft from all the govt contracts, the rice scam and all the billions it is losing but then that would be too truthful and thaksin would be upset with them......

This is true; Taksin is not in 'self-imposed exile' - he is a fugitive, on the run from a conviction.

[Johnnie99]

Amazing how many people here bleat on about how nothing ever changes in Thailand - and yet when something just might happen, they bleat about that too. This current action may not be the ideal, but for all the nay-sayers, it is something.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Johnnie99

[rickirs]

What diffence does 15000 police make if millions if thai show for this protest! 75 or more people per policeman are not good odds even if they are armed. Sent from my GT-S5310 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I think the latest news is that it will be 35,000 protesters stationed in seven different locations.

[diehard60]

So i see it is ok for suthep not to go to court because he is busy. This means that if he can do then anyone and everyone can do it. All they have to say is they are too busy doing what ever. What a joke.

[VegasVic]

Yingluck to face murder charges, if it's good enough for Abhisit and Suthep it's good enough for the darling of Surin. I know all the people on TV who bleat about the police not doing their jobs will support this, after all in a democracy everyone is supposed to be treated equally.

Actually Ms. Shinawatra has played this very well, she has let suthep make a greater and greater fool of himself with each "FINAL" protest (after each one of which he has proclaimed that he would turn himself in) and at the same time she has held the upper ground whilst the protestors cause harm to tourisim and general business activity in Bangkok Thais in the countryside have found all of this quite amusing, the only thing that they are in amazement about is why someone hasn't put a bullet in sutheps head yet, alas that is something that most of us are in amazement about as well!