Thailand Declares 60-day State Of Emergency In Bangkok

The Thai government has declared a state of
emergency in the capital Bangkok and
surrounding areas to cope with protests
aimed at forcing the prime minister, Yingluck
Shinawatra, from power.
Chalerm Yubumrung, Thailand’s labour
minister, announced on Tuesday that the
restrictions would come into force after
midnight and last 60 days.
“We need it because the protesters have
closed government buildings, banks and
escalated the situation, which has caused
injuries and deaths. The government sees the
need to announce the emergency decree to
keep the situation under control,” the
minister said.
The decree will allow security agencies to
impose curfews, detain suspects without
charge, censor media, ban political gatherings
of more than five people and declare areas
off-limits.
Yingluck said police, not the military, would
mainly be used and her government had no
intention of confronting the protesters.
“We will use peaceful negotiations with the
protesters in line with international standards
… We have told the police to stick with
international standards, to be patient with the
protesters,” she said on Tuesday.
The state of emergency follows increasing
attacks at protest sites for which the
government and the protesters blame each
other. These include grenade attacks and
drive-by shootings.
28 people were Sunday wounded when two
grenades were thrown at one of several
protest sites set up in Bangkok.
One man was also killed and dozens
wounded in another grenade attack on a
protest march last Friday. No arrests have
been made in either attack.
The protesters, who say that Yingluck’s
government is carrying on the practices of
Thaksin Shinawatra, her billionaire brother
who was prime minister from 2001 to 2006,
by using the family fortune and state funds to
influence voters and cement its power, wants
her to resign to make way for an appointed
government to implement reforms to fight
corruption.
Yingluck called elections for February 2, but
the protesters want them postponed. The
opposition Democrat Party, closely aligned
with the protesters, is boycotting the polls.
The announcement of the emergency decree
said the elections would proceed as planned.