State of Emergency in Bangkok: Public gatherings banned

[webfact]

Public gatherings banned - Curfew not to be imposed
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- Curfew not to be imposed; dissemination of news to come under the scanner; Chalerm says authorities will now focus on arresting the protest leaders

Under the emergency decree invoked on Wednesday, the caretaker government yesterday banned public gatherings of five or more people and the distribution of news in a manner that threatened national security, but stopped short of imposing curfew at night.

Those measures were among the six published in the Royal Gazette following the declaration of a 60-day state of emergency in Bangkok, Nonthaburi and parts of Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan.

The announcement, signed by caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, also authorised the government's Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) to prohibit the use of transport in certain areas and the use of certain buildings, as well as the evacuation of people from certain places or areas.

Now that the state of emergency is in place, authorities will focus on arresting the leaders of the anti-government movement in a bid to end their rally that has gone on for more than 80 days, Labour Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung, who heads the CMPO, said.

Authorities are allowed to detain them for 30 days under the emergency law, he said.

There would be no violence against the protesters and there would be no operation to disperse the street demonstrations, he said.

"The government wants peace to be restored," he said.

The CMPO was considering arresting all the leaders of the People's Democratic Reform Committee in the hope of resolving the protest crisis and ending the demonstrations within 60 days, he said.

People providing financial support to the protest movement might face legal action, as their identities were known, he said, adding he might ask the Anti Money Laundering Office to investigate.

PM meets military top brass

Yingluck, who is also the defence minister, urged the Armed Forces to take good care of their weapons and ensure they would not be stolen during this time of high political tensions, said Colonel Thanathip Sawangsaeng, spokesman for the Defence Ministry.

Yingluck chaired a meeting of the Defence Council at the Air Force headquarters with Deputy Defence Minister General Yuthasak Sasiprapha, Permanent Secretary for Defence General Nipat Thonglek, Supreme Commander General General Thanasak Patimaprakorn, Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, Navy chief Admiral Narong Pipatanasai, Air Force chief ACM Prajin Juntong and other senior brass.

The meeting discussed the military's scope of authority in enforcing the emergency decree and its role in helping police keep order at night, according to a source. The military leaders were told to help monitor against more bomb attacks and warned to be careful when making public statements.

Defence Council meetings are usually held at the Defence Ministry, but as it has often been laid siege to by protesters yesterday's meeting was moved.

Air Force chief Prajin said the caretaker prime minister could use the Air Force HQ as a meeting venue once in a while, but it would be inconvenient for the CMPO to use the office as its command centre because it is both an air base and an airport governed by many security rules.

There had been speculation that the CMPO would want to relocate from the Defence Ministry to the Air Force HQ after the protesters surrounded the ministry on Wednesday, forcing the CMPO to cancel its meeting.

Pol Maj-General Chanthawit Ramasut, the deputy commissioner of Metropolitan Police, said the police will set up 23 security checkpoints around the protest sites in Bangkok to prevent any smuggling in of weapons or violent incidents.


State of emergency measures

1. No gatherings of five or more people in areas marked out by the CMPO are allowed. People can only gather for legal demonstrations and elections. Actions inciting disorder are banned.

2. News reports and distribution of newspapers and other publications carrying distorted information or facts that might cause panic, affect peace and order or good morals are not allowed.

3. At the order of the CMPO chief, the use of public transport routes and vehicles for other purposes is prohibited.

4. The use of public buildings and areas, as well as entering specific places is prohibited under the orders of the CMPO chief.

5. People must evacuate certain areas for their own safety and not enter other areas in line with orders of the CMPO chief.

6. The CMPO chief will set a timeframe for enforcing the above orders and set a criteria for operation officers to minimise the impact on the general public.


-- The Nation 2014-01-24

[bkkjames]

Korean Golfers take note of the more than 5 in a 4 some rule.

Edited January 23, 2014 by bkkjames

[MaiChai]

Its not going to work, just like every other way Taksin and his party have tried to get their way. Government are accountable to the people and the people are not stupid.

[LucidLucifer]

Chinese tour groups could be in for a rough ride.....

On a serious note, I have wondered whether the timing of this is related to the Phichit farmers saying they are heading to Bangkok to protest.

[englishoak]

Chinese tour groups could be in for a rough ride.....

On a serious note, I have wondered whether the timing of this is related to the Phichit farmers saying they are heading to Bangkok to protest.

I don't think the SOE has much to do with a few Phichit farmers somehow

[ggold]

Interesting times ahead! does he listen to himself. Does he really think it's going to happen. I think the Police wil have targets on their heads if they try to arrest anyone. Hot air form the medicine man maybe?

[LucidLucifer]

Chinese tour groups could be in for a rough ride.....

On a serious note, I have wondered whether the timing of this is related to the Phichit farmers saying they are heading to Bangkok to protest.

I don't think the SOE has much to do with a few Phichit farmers somehow

Why? If you think about it, farmers are their traditional support, and once one lot come, others may be encouraged to do so. They'll then have even more groups of people against them.

[notmyself]

Chinese tour groups could be in for a rough ride.....

On a serious note, I have wondered whether the timing of this is related to the Phichit farmers saying they are heading to Bangkok to protest.

100% it is. If the farmers come down to BKK then they know exactly what will happen. People will run to CM to escape the smoke!

[CelticBhoy]

My wife and I have three sons.

Can we not all go out together?

[bkkjames]

My wife and I have three sons.

Can we not all go out together?

Yes, but your wife will have to walk 3 paces behind you like normal

[NongKhaiKid]

Public gatherings are banned yet Chalerm says no attempts will be made to disperse protesters ?

The focus will be on arresting protest leaders but has he not noticed they tend to be surrounded by lots of followers who I suppose will simply part like the Red Sea and allow arrests to take place.

The government may have decided not to provoke a reaction by a Softly Softly approach but if they want that to work they have appointed to wrong man to run policing the emergency decree because if anyone can start a civil war ... !

[cloudhopper]

The SOE will be enforced just like all the other laws here are.

[NongKhaiKid]

My wife and I have three sons.

Can we not all go out together?

You're a Celtic fan, that's a criminal offence in itself.

[whybother]

I wonder how the political parties are going to do any campaigning?

[Ricardo]

Dare one queue to pay, at the supermarket or railway-station or Morchit, if there are already four people in the queue ?

Hope they don't expand the SOE-areas, to include the check-in areas or boarding-gates, at Swampy of Don Muang !

And what about bus-queues or taxi-queues ?

Amazing Thailand in all its' wonderful colour ! It starts with the people, but no more than four at-a-time, please !

[englishoak]

Chinese tour groups could be in for a rough ride.....

On a serious note, I have wondered whether the timing of this is related to the Phichit farmers saying they are heading to Bangkok to protest.

I don't think the SOE has much to do with a few Phichit farmers somehow

Why? If you think about it, farmers are their traditional support, and once one lot come, others may be encouraged to do so. They'll then have even more groups of people against them.

Because the farmers from Phichit are not in the main PTP supporters and not their main support, the government is not so stupid as to think it can by force appease the rice payments problem, it simply isnt regardless of what some will say here.

for some reason people seem to think is SOE is a kind of nefarious plan yet it is there for exactly these circumstances we have, There always has to be some kind of dramatic underlying plan when i suspect this is just the route it has to go down, should things deteriorate it is in place to act.

The farmers that are the core will as likely still vote red knowing they will get paid from the side that brought in the scheme in the first place. why wouldnt they ? there is no one else to even consider

[CelticBhoy]

My wife and I have three sons.

Can we not all go out together?

You're a Celtic fan, that's a criminal offence in itself.

And as a Rangers fan you will fully comprehend

a 'state of emergency' . . . . .

[NongKhaiKid]

My wife and I have three sons.

Can we not all go out together?

You're a Celtic fan, that's a criminal offence in itself.

And as a Rangers fan you will fully comprehend

a 'state of emergency' . . . . .

Touche and couldn't agree more. Took you long enough to think that up though ! Aye, the nights are fair drawin' in.

[culicine]

WOW - don't spread FACTS that might cause panic....any further comment is superfluous.

Edited January 24, 2014 by culicine

[chrisinth]

NongKhaiKid, on 24 Jan 2014 - 06:39, said:

Public gatherings are banned yet Chalerm says no attempts will be made to disperse protesters ?

The focus will be on arresting protest leaders but has he not noticed they tend to be surrounded by lots of followers who I suppose will simply part like the Red Sea and allow arrests to take place.

The government may have decided not to provoke a reaction by a Softly Softly approach but if they want that to work they have appointed to wrong man to run policing the emergency decree because if anyone can start a civil war ... !

Yeah, that confused me as well, but note 1 in the State of Emergency Measures in the OP reads:

"No gatherings of five or more people in areas marked out by the CMPO are allowed. People can only gather for legal demonstrations and elections. Actions inciting disorder are banned"

Which may be, as suggested before, directed towards the rice farmers. Question is, will it also be directed at any red gatherings? That could work against any support hoped to be gained.

Edit: Even that statement is not correct as even though the protests remain peaceful, the speakers messages are loaded with incitement.

Edited January 24, 2014 by chrisinth

[ginjag]

My wife and I have three sons.

Can we not all go out together?

You're a Celtic fan, that's a criminal offence in itself.

And as a Rangers fan you will fully comprehend

a 'state of emergency' . . . . .

Touche and couldn't agree more. Took you long enough to think that up though ! Aye, the nights are fair drawin' in.

In Scunthorpe the first 11 supporters to get to the ground PLAY.

[Hawkman]

"2. News reports and distribution of newspapers and other publications carrying distorted information or facts that might cause panic, affect peace and order or good morals are not allowed."

Wow, so only news reports acceptable from the Government. North Korea style media at its best. So, if some corruption deals get exposed, it won't be reported, if a red shirt causes violence it won't be reported. Any anti Government reports won't be reported.

If Suthep or the anti Government protesters do something bad, it will be reported.

​What a fair democracy that is. People really don't realise how corrupt and power hungry this Government really are.

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

Well, quite an about-face. Yesterday, Yingluck said the SOE would only be used to arrest the protest leaders, not suppress the protests.

Maybe all my years studying political science and law were for naught. Somehow, I thought that an activity protected by the Constitution, political protest, and which has already been upheld by the Constitutional Court, can't be overturned by an act of Parliament on a simple majority vote.

I guess I need to enroll in a Thai university and see how they explain this one away. So much for claiming to be a democracy that operates by rule of law.

[englishoak]

"2. News reports and distribution of newspapers and other publications carrying distorted information or facts that might cause panic, affect peace and order or good morals are not allowed."

Wow, so only news reports acceptable from the Government. North Korea style media at its best. So, if some corruption deals get exposed, it won't be reported, if a red shirt causes violence it won't be reported. Any anti Government reports won't be reported.

If Suthep or the anti Government protesters do something bad, it will be reported.

​What a fair democracy that is. People really don't realise how corrupt and power hungry this Government really are.

Think your missing something here, they didnt write the SOE its already there and was used most effectively and to the full by the Dems in 2010. So far there is nothing like that in any of the orders nor are they being implemented with force or policed as such again unlike 2010 though things can change of course. Stay tuned

[Ratakhun]

So...Sensation at BITECH Bang Na is still happening..right?

Sent from my iPad

[Crushdepth]

The SOE will be enforced just like all the other laws here are.

I'll keep 100 baht handy then and not worry about it.

[alant]

Its not going to work, just like every other way Taksin and his party have tried to get their way. Government are accountable to the people and the people are not stupid.

By this reasoning the last election was fine and above board and the Sutep mob have no reason to go against the will of the people who, as you say, are not stupid.

[gabruce]

NongKhaiKid, on 24 Jan 2014 - 06:39, said:

Public gatherings are banned yet Chalerm says no attempts will be made to disperse protesters ?

The focus will be on arresting protest leaders but has he not noticed they tend to be surrounded by lots of followers who I suppose will simply part like the Red Sea and allow arrests to take place.

The government may have decided not to provoke a reaction by a Softly Softly approach but if they want that to work they have appointed to wrong man to run policing the emergency decree because if anyone can start a civil war ... !

Yeah, that confused me as well, but note 1 in the State of Emergency Measures in the OP reads:

"No gatherings of five or more people in areas marked out by the CMPO are allowed. People can only gather for legal demonstrations and elections. Actions inciting disorder are banned"

Which may be, as suggested before, directed towards the rice farmers. Question is, will it also be directed at any red gatherings? That could work against any support hoped to be gained.

Edit: Even that statement is not correct as even though the protests remain peaceful, the speakers messages are loaded with incitement.

News stories and comments like this are frustrating. "Speakers messages are loaded with incitement." What did they say exactly? Of course I realize that I have to rely on translations and how accurate the translator is.

I would note that speakers messages are loaded with incitement has got to be true. Otherwise why speak? The question would be are they inciting people to read more, be better parents, eater healthier, examine the issues critically, or to burn down Central World?

Oh well.

[Somtamnication]

Interesting how Yingluck has released her lapdog Chalerm to enforce this. He is blood-thirsty and equally as nuts as Suthep. She must be desperate now.

[webfact]

Under emergency decree, caretaker govt bans gatherings of 5, or more people /The Nation