Bangkok Post : Army chief: Armed forces won't stage a coup

The armed forces have no thoughts about staging another coup as it would only cause damage to the country, army commander-in-chief Gen Anupong Paojinda said on Friday.

“There will be no military coup, despite all the speculation,” Gen Anupong said.

Defence permanent secretary Gen Apichart Penkitti  also said the military will not resort to another coup to settle the country's problems. The idea of a coup was an outdated concept, and current conditions did not warrant a coup.

Gen Apichart said he was confident that no commander of the armed forces had any plan to stage a takeover while the prime minister is in New York for the UN General Assembly meeting next week.

The  last coup was three years ago, on Sept 19, when Thaksin Shinawatra was removed from office while he was attending the UN General Assembly.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the government would declare a state of emergency if the Internal Security Act proves inadequate to control the situation during Saturday's protest rally organised by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD).

“As acting prime minister I have the authority to announce a state of emergency,” said Mr Suthep, who is in charge of security affairs. He would try his best to prevent any violence occurring.

He declined to predict whether the red-shirt rally would escalate into violence, saying any comment would only be misconstrued as provocative.

Mr Suthep said he had directed all state security authorities to refrain from using weapons against the protesters.

"In case of necessity, only rubber bullets will be used and then only after receiving official permission directly from me," he said.

"The media will be allowed to freely monitor the government's handling of the situation."

The deputy prime minister rejected as groundless claims that the government planned to incite violence.

Nattawut Saikua, a core leader of the UDD, on Thursday accused the government of planning to smuggle agitators, soldiers wearing red shirts, into the crowd.

Troops are on standby to support police if requested during the protest.

Security has been tightened around Government House and the residence of Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda in Bangkok after the Internal Security Act was again invoked in Dusit district on Friday ahead of the planned rally. The ISA will remain in place until  Sept 22.

One company from metropolitan police division 9 was deployed at the Si Sao Theves home of Privy Council president Gen Prem in Bangkok. Concrete barriers were also placed in front of the house.

About 1,000 police and soldiers were also deployed to protect Gen Prem's residence in Nakhon Ratchasima, and the provincial city hall.

At Gen Prem's home on Suebsiri road in Muang district, more than 500 police and soldiers from the 2nd Army were in place to cope with the red-shirt rally due to start at 4pm on Friday. The UDD has often accused Gen Prem of being behind the Sept 19 coup that ousted the Thaksin Shinawatra government three years ago. 

Two tents were put up and two fire trucks parked in front of Gen Prem's residence to accommodate a police command post supervised by Pol Col Pongdet Promichit, deputy chief of Nakhon Ratchasima police.

Suebsiri road was closed to all traffic and two checkpoints set up at an intersection about a kilometre  from Gen Prem's home.  Five fire trucks were parked at the intersection, which was being manned by riot police with crowd control equipment.

At city hall in downtown Nakhon Ratchasima, where Gen Prem is to present scholarships from the Prem Tinsulanonda Foundation to needy children on Saturday, 200 police and 200 defence volunteers were on duty.

Gen Prem arrived at his Korat home from Bangkok about 11.30am today.

The red-shirts plan to rally at Gen Prem's home in Nakhon Ratchasima before moving to Bangkok to join the main protest at the Royal Plaza on Saturday.

Police expected about 30,000 people would take part in the Bangkok protest led by the United front for Democracy against Dictatorship on Saturday, metropolitan police commander Pol Lt-Gen Worapong Chiewpreecha said.