Thailand Extends Security Law as Key "Red-shirt" Leaders Freed
The Thai government on Tuesday extended the enforcement of tough security law in the capital for another month as the release on bail of key "red-shirt" leaders is likely to further galvanize anti-government protests.
The cabinet agreed at its weekly meeting, as proposed by the national police chief, to extend the enforcement of Chapter Two of the Internal Security Act (ISA), due to expire on Wednesday, from Feb. 24 to March 25.
The extension coincided with the granting of bail by the criminal court in Bangkok to seven core leaders and one supporter of the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship ( UDD), who had been detained for nine months on terrorism charges since the bloody military crackdown on their protest last May 19.
Thousands of UDD supporters roared with jubilation as Nattawut Saikua, Weng Tochirakarn and others walked raising both of their hands up together out of their cells at a Bangkok remand prison.
Nattawut, sitting on the shoulders of a supporter, spoke through a megaphone to thank the crowd for coming to show their support.
He and Weng, in particular, played a key role in galvanizing red-shirt rallies last year at Ratchaprasong intersection, an upper-class shopping district in central Bangkok.
Now with all key UDD leaders free on the street again, the camp' s twice-a-month rallies, which usually drew a crowd of a few tens of thousands, are likely to become even more of an attraction with these leaders'charisma.
They were released, after each putting 600,000 Thai baht (19, 600 U.S. dollars) in cash for security, on condition that they will not instigate any violence or leave the country for overseas without court approval.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters after hearing the news of their release: "At the moment, we try to resolve the situation in leading to a fresh election."
Abhisit has hinted that a new general election could be called as soon as in June.
Kanit Na Nakorn, chairing an Abhisit-appointed committee to find out truth about last year's political violence, has earlier voiced his support for the granting of bail to the UDD leaders to mitigate current political conflict in the society.
UDD leader Tida Tawornseth said she would now move forwards in requesting bail for another over 100 red-shirt members still being detained in various prisons across the country.
Tida said the UDD will still hold a rally in Bangkok as planned on March 12.
UDD has been campaigning on what they call "double standard" treatment by the Abhisit government in enforcing law against the red shirts and their rival, the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), whose leaders had never been detained by the police despite facing similar charges of terrorism for their seizure of the two airports in Bangkok in late 2008.
For their current street protest, PAD supporters, calling for the Abhisit government to get tougher with Cambodia in the two countries' border dispute, have been occupying a strip of road near the Government House for a month now.
They have refused to move their encampment on Ratchadamnern Road despite the imposition of ISA's Chapter Two, first becoming effective on Feb. 9.
The enforcement, with two sets of rules enacted consequently, allows security officers to better control the various groups of protesters in seven districts in Bangkok, areas that housing key government and military headquarters.
The rules, signed by Police General Wichien Pojposri as the head of a peace-keeping center set up to implementing this Chapter Two, specifically bar unauthorized people from entering the Government House, the Parliament House and various strips of roads around the two compounds.
It also allows the authorities to order people to leave the areas and prohibits commuters to access many roads nearby.
Offenders of the rules could be subject to a jail term of up to one year, or a fine of 20,000 baht (650 U.S. dollars), or both.
It is feared that PAD supporters could storm into and seize the two most vital government premises in the capital as they had done before in 2008 in protesting against then two crony governments of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
After the enforcement of ISA's Chapter Two, 10 PAD leaders were charged by the police for its violation.
On Tuesday, nine of the 10 leaders, including Chamlong Srimuang and Sondhi Limthongkul, reported to the Bangkok Metropolitan Police to answer the charges, but were freed after being questioned by police officers. One of them failed to show up.
"The Act is full of loopholes and flaws," Sondhi told reporters. "It has been enforced purely for political reasons without any security concern."
He maintained that the PAD would not move their protest site, or pull out of any area the authorities wanted for better traffic flow in the neighborhood.
PAD also said they planned to sue the Abhisit government for misusing the ISA.
http://english.cri.cn/6966/2011/02/22/2021s622187.htm