The People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) is training 300 guards to boost security and "maintain politeness” when checking people at its Lumpini rally site.
This follows a series of complaints from park-goers and people passing the venue about being spoken to rudely and manhandled during searches of their belongings. There have also been allegations of assault.
They will be taught a range of skills including self-defence, security duties and manners when asking to inspect park-goers' belongings, according to PDRC co-leader Thaworn Senneam.
At the end of the training, the guards must be able to prevent PDRC leaders and supporters from being harmed without being unpleasant to people who visit the park to exercise or rest.
PDRC guards need to know "how to speak to people appropriately" when they want to check them at the park gates, Mr Thaworn said yesterday.
The guards yesterday gathered at Lumpini Hall to receive their first lesson.
The group was told to follow the orders of superiors unconditionally and to avoid using force with ill-intent.
The guards were also told not to harm people they detain and not to drink alcohol or take drugs.
Experts would be invited to teach them about military strategies so they can better oversee the vast park area, said the former Democrat MP for Songkhla.
The training follows the merger of five PDRC rally sites after the group faced problems ensuring safety at its Pathumwan, Ratchaprasong, Asok and Sala Daeng venues because of limited resources.
These locations, together with rally stages demolished earlier at the Victory Monument and Lat Phrao intersection, were part of the PDRC’s "Bangkok shutdown" campaign aimed at paralysing traffic to pressure caretaker premier Yingluck Shinawatra's government to step down.
Outside Lumpini Park, police and soldiers have been deployed on the Thai-Belgian Friendship Bridge and on Henri Dunant Road to boost security and to direct traffic, assistant national police chief Pol Lt Gen Ruangsak Charitek said.
The bridge's inbound lane will be closed at night for safety reasons, he added.