Emergency decree stays put

Emergency decree stays put

Fresh grenade attacks spark safety concerns

The emergency decree is likely to remain following a fresh grenade attack on the Criminal Court.

Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said the political situation is still volatile, even though anti-government protests have been scaled down with the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) combining several rally sites into one.

Mr Surapong said sporadic attacks continue to hit the city, and the attack on the Criminal Court mean the emergency decree is likely to stay.

After the PDRC launched its “Bangkok shutdown” campaign on Jan 13, the decree was declared for a period of 60 days, effective from Jan 22.

It covers Bangkok, Nonthaburi and parts of Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan provinces.

The end of the shutdown campaign has sparked speculation about the lifting of the emergency decree.

Mr Surapong said the political situation needs to be assessed thoroughly before any decision is made.

The Civil Court recently ruled that the emergency decree be kept in place, but prohibited the caretaker government and Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) from using it to disperse protesters.

Mr Surapong said the CMPO, set up to handle anti-government protests in the wake of the decree enforcement, is in the process of appealing against the Civil Court’s ruling, particularly the ban on dispersing protesters.

The deputy prime minister rejected criticism the emergency decree was hurting the tourism industry. He said it was actually the PDRC street protest that was scaring away tourists.

Labour Minister Chalerm Yubamrung, in his capacity as CMPO director, said a final decision to revoke the decree rests with caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

However, he said the situation has not returned to normal because the PDRC is still agitating to topple the prime minister.

The Democrat Party is calling for Ms Yingluck to lift the emergency decree, saying there is no longer a cause to justify its use.

Jurit Laksanavisit, a Democrat deputy spokesman, said the demonstrators have ended the shutdown and moved their protest to Lumpini Park, so the rally is no longer affecting city residents.

He also said the invocation of the emergency decree has so far been useless because it has repeatedly failed to prevent attacks and no arrests relating to those attacks have been made.

Mr Jurit said the decree should have instead been declared in the provinces where red shirts were calling for the establishment of a separate state.

The CMPO has set up a team to negotiate with Luang Pu Buddha Issara, who leads a protest stage at Chaeng Watthana, to ask him to lift the remaining blockades on Chaeng Watthana Road and allow state officials to return to work inside the Government Complex.

The negotiation team led by Maj Gen Surachart Jitjaeng, of the Defence Ministry, is expected to talk to the monk tomorrow.

Luang Pu, however, said yesterday he was unable to meet the negotiation team, saying he was busy.

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