The cabinet on Tuesday morning approved the use of the Internal Security Act (ISA) throughout Bangkok from Nov 28 to Dec 14 to cope with the red-shirts’ plan for prolonged anti-government protests.
The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) plans a prolonged anti-government protest from this Saturday to next Wednesday in front of Government House in its latest attempt to topple the Abhisit administration.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who is in charge of security affairs, said on Monday that the ISA would be limited to only in Dusit and nearby Sommanas and Bang Khun Phrom sub-districts.
However, the cabinet decided to invoke it across all of Bangkok since the red-shirts had declared they would rally and split into groups that would protest separately at many different locations in the capital next Monday.
"The cabinet made this decision because the protesters may go separately to many different locations. The wider coverage of the law will enable security units to effectively perform their duty throughout Bangkok.
''It may be recalled that when the red-shirts rallied at the Victory Monument in April the authorities could not take action against them," government deputy spokesman Supachai Jaisamut said.
On a suggestion that the ISA should also be imposed in Chiang Mai to ensure the safety of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva during his visit to the province, Mr Supachai said the prime minister wanted this idea put on hold pending further assessment of the situation.
Prime Minister Abhisit said the imposing the ISA across the capital was necessary to ensure law and order if the protesters split up.
"There are reports that people, including foreign workers, have been gathered from different regions to join the demonstration," Mr Abhisit said.
He would continue to monitor the security situation before deciding whether to attend the Thai Chambers of Commerce annual national meeting in the northern province of Chiang Mai this weekend.
The opposition Puea thai Party immediately claimed the use of the security law throughout the capital during the peak tourist season would hurt the economy and tourism in particular.
Puea Thai deputy spokesman Jirayu Huangsap said the cabinet's decision was proof that the government applied a double standard. It had not invoked the law when the yellow-shirt supporters of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) rallied at Sanam Luang on Nov 15.
Mr Jirayu also denied the foreign workers would be co-opted to take part in the rallies, as initially claimed by Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban on Monday.
“The general public knows well that the anti-government rally by the red-shirts is a lawful expression under the democratic system. The allegation by Mr Suthep is a pretext to justify the government’s plan to use force against the demonstrators,” he said.
This had happened in 1973, when the government of the time accused students who protested against it of being communists, he added.
The Peua Thai deputy spokesman called on Prime Minister Abhisit to cancel his plan to visit Chiang Mai on Nov 29 to avoid possible unrest.
Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) chairman Santi Vilassakdanont said the government’s decision to invoke ISA would not have any impact on the confidence of manufacturers and the people.
“The security law has been imposed in certain areas of Bangkok several times without any violence,” Mr Santi said. The law’s imposition was a warning that the anti-government demonstrations by red-shirts must not step outside the law.
The FTI chairman admitted the private sector was concerned about the planned rallies by supporters of the UDD this weekend.
He said the industrial sector was recovering and tourism picking up. Any unrest could destroy the gains already made.
Mr Santi said the red-shirts have the constitutional right of assembly, but it must be peaceful
"December 5 is the 82nd birthday of His Majesty the King and if anything happens it will affect the King’s birthday ceremony preparations and the country’s image will be severely affected,” he said.
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