Thai Government mulls extending state of emergency

[webfact]

Government mulls extending state of emergency
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, March 4 - Thailand's caretaker government will consider next week whether to extend the state of emergency, while saying situation will remain under close watch despite protesters abandoning rally sites at key intersections to consolidate into one base.

National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general Lt Gen Paradorn Pattanatabut said daily disturbances have continued, partly by a third party wanting to create a situation. Concerned authorities have to closely monitored the situation although the anti-government protesters of the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) have moved to gather in one place at Lumpini Park.

He noted that violence usually occurs when there are fewer protesters.

As the two-month emergency decree is due to expire March 23, he said the security agencies and the Center for Maintaining Peace and Order (CAPO) will have to consider carefully whether to extend the special or revoke it and replace it with the Internal Security Act as the protesters are still mobilised to block state office buildings and pressure state officials to stop working.

Gen Paradorn said the issue will be raised in the cabinet meeting next week, adding that situation is likely to improve as there are negotiations between state and anti-government movement in several levels.

CAPO director Chalerm Yubamrung however said he believes the protests will continue for some months as the PDRC has not yet reached its goal to topple the government.

Meanwhile, PDRC protesters today rallied outside the home of Tarit Pengdith, director-general of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), calling on him to file and accept as a special case the separatism charges against the red shirt group in Chiang Mai.

Mr Tarit was not at his home, which was under tight police guard, and the crowds later dispersed after expressing their symbolic move there. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2014-03-04

[bigbamboo]

Who is this third party of which he speaks?

[Dogmatix]

"CAPO director Chalerm Yubamrung however said he believes the protests will continue for some months as the PDRC has not yet reached its goal to topple the government."

Chalerm will hang on at CMPO administering a defanged SOE until he is sure everything is OK because the government has been toppled. Don't forget to cancel the SOE before you go Lerm.

[Dogmatix]

Who is this third party of which he speaks?

It is the militants recruited by the square faced family. Paradorn is possibly moonlighting as military instructor to them and is able to speak with authority.

As Luang Pu put it in response to Somchai's (Thaksin's brother-in-law's) remark that attacks on protestors were the work of a third hand, "There are only two parties involved in this and it wasn't us".

[harrry]

If the government expires because they could not form a government how can they extend the SOE?

[moonao]

Get these thuggish protester guards in handcuffs before dropping the SOE.

The "peaceful" guards are continuing to bash and intimidate citizens.

[huanga]

Get these thuggish protester guards in handcuffs before dropping the SOE.

The "peaceful" guards are continuing to bash and intimidate citizens.

Get these thuggish red guards in handcuffs before secession . The piece of <deleted> red guards are continuing to throw grenade and intimidate citizens.

You really should see things from more than one angle.

[rubl]

"He noted that violence usually occurs when there are fewer protesters."

So, does that mean that prohibiting groups of five or more people to congregate is foolish? It's better to have larger crowds?

Does the National Security Council (NSC) secretary-general Lt Gen Paradorn Pattanatabut want to suggest that with all protesters concentrated in one site they have become 'fewer' ?

Amazing really, the ingenuity with which pro-government councils come with reasons to keep the Emergency Decree.

Edited March 4, 2014 by rubl

[seajae]

Get these thuggish protester guards in handcuffs before dropping the SOE.

The "peaceful" guards are continuing to bash and intimidate citizens.

dream on sunshine, the reds are the third party and they are following ptp/chalerms advice to the letter. You can tell its them because they wait till there are less people to attack, it the yellow streaks up their backs, they are just natural cowards and prefer people that dont fight back, kind of like their appologists

.

Edited March 4, 2014 by seajae

[Local Drunk]

I know that many of the posters are fans of Suthep, but he has managed to stay more than a few steps ahead of the government since this started. They have to react and they generally look quite stupid in their efforts.

[SamMunich]

moonao wrote:

Get these thuggish protester guards in handcuffs before dropping the SOE.

The "peaceful" guards are continuing to bash and intimidate citizens.

And they all look like your avatar...

[SamMunich]

Nobody in his right mind would agree, that extending state of emergency is necessary to keep peace and order and...

No, that's a purely political decision and it is one of the very few trump cards the gov't still holds. Maybe the likes of Chalerm get an extra emursement for that additional position, who knows?

[Basil B]

This caretaker government introduced the SoE to suppress it's opponents and it did not work, so what is the point of extending it?

[tomacht8]

"CAPO director Chalerm Yubamrung however said he believes the protests will continue for some months as the PDRC has not yet reached its goal to topple the government."

Chalerm will hang on at CMPO administering a defanged SOE until he is sure everything is OK because the government has been toppled. Don't forget to cancel the SOE before you go Lerm.

Charlem will not go so quick.

He has a 20 Billion Baht Budget.

20.000.000.000 Baht

That's a lot of money.

Jackpot.

To much money for the CMPO-CAPO-DSI lying around there.

He does not give this up.

Rather freezes the hell.

I would like to see the receipts for this 20 billion Baht.

They could also pay the farmers 20 Billion Baht.

Edited March 4, 2014 by tomacht8

[Baerboxer]

Shouldn't they be mulling over what to do when they get kicked out as their caretaker term has ended?

Possession, as they say, is 9/10 ths of the law. Just ask Thaksin - he's got experience of hanging on to the caretaker pm role illegally.

[Siripon]

Businesses around the ex protest sites may have disliked the protests for affecting sales but businesses generally in Thailand must dislike the government more for this totally unnecessary emergency, tourism and investment obviously the most hit.

And they haven't arresred any third hands yet!

The bomber at Victory Monument has apparently fled to a neighbouring country, I wonder which.

[BigMountain]

This SOE is silly. The only effect it has had is to keep tourists away.

[SOTIRIOS]

....wasn't the S.O.E. was deemed unconstitutional.....???

[Shaunduhpostman]

Looks like they were just kidding about the Caretaker Government having a 30 day limit. Or perhaps I've missed something...

[shiok]

Who is this third party of which he speaks?

themselves!