Bangkok Post : Red shirts counselled to back off

Thaksin says 'timing is wrong' for major rally

This weekend's feared fireworks between the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship and the government may end up being only a damp squib as Thaksin Shinawatra has told his red shirt supporters to reconsider their rally plans.

Thaksin talked to a Puea Thai Party meeting via a video link yesterday and urged the rally organisers to think twice about holding their protest from Saturday until Dec 2, an opposition party source said.

The main concern voiced about the rally by Thaksin lay with its timing, the source quoted the convicted former prime minister as saying.

Puea Thai will decide today whether its ally, the UDD, should go ahead in taking to the streets to try to oust Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his Democrat-led coalition government, said Jatuporn Prompan, a party member and key UDD leader.

Puea Thai members aired their concern about the planned protest rally at their meeting yesterday, fearing it could damage the party's popularity as the celebration of His Majesty the King's birthday is nearing, its Chiang Rai MP Surasit Cheamvichak said.

His Majesty's birthday is on Dec 5.

The party should be showing respect and loyalty to His Majesty instead of holding a protest rally which could disrupt the King's birthday celebrations, Mr Surasit said.

Puea Thai deputy spokesman Jirayu Huangsap said if there was no U-turn on the decision to hold the protest demonstration, then it would be a peaceful one and the government should not be worried about it because it would end on Dec 2.

Still, many party members wanted the demonstration to be deferred until early next year, the source said.

The red shirts are planning major protests in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. The northern rally will also target the prime minister, who plans to attend the annual meeting of the Thai chambers of commerce from across the country on Sunday.

As worries about the prime minister's safety grew among his cabinet ministers, Mr Abhisit said he would make a final decision on his trip to the North after returning from a visit to Qatar on Thursday.

The cabinet yesterday agreed to blanket the entire city of Bangkok with the Internal Security Act from Saturday to Dec 14 to counter the UDD rally.

The decision went beyond a recommendation by security agencies to enforce the ISA only in some areas of two districts, Phra Nakhon and Pomprap Sattruphai.

The prime minister said all areas in the capital needed to be covered by the law as the red shirts planned protests in many parts of Bangkok.

"Because of this, we need to impose the Internal Security Act as a tool to maintain law and order in the city," Mr Abhisit said.

The security act empowers the Internal Security Operations Command to take over duties and responsibilities from police. Isoc officials can exercise their power to carry out raids and disperse crowds if they see the situation worsening.

Mr Abhisit said business operators understood the decision by the government after his recent meeting with them at Government House.

But the cabinet remained undecided whether the law should be invoked in Chiang Mai. It left the matter with security officials for further study.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban on Monday favoured invoking the ISA in Chiang Mai to protect the premier from UDD demonstrators.

But it ran into opposition from the army which feared it would drive tourists away from Chiang Mai as the high tourism season approached.

"We will call a cabinet meeting immediately around the end of this week to announce the enforcement of this law if we need it (in Chiang Mai)," Mr Suthep said.

An army source said security agencies would decide tomorrow whether to invoke the ISA in Chiang Mai and forward the decision to the government.

Army chief Anupong Paojinda yesterday held talks with his subordinates following the cabinet's approval of the security law for Bangkok to prepare almost 13,000 soldiers to go on duty.

He was quoted as saying that all the authorities concerned should try their best to prevent violence during their security operations.

The source said top officers from the 1st Army responsible for Bangkok and the central region had briefed their colleagues based at the 3rd Army, which oversees the northern region, on their experiences in handling red shirt demonstrations.

"Unlike the 1st and 2nd Armies, the 3rd Army has little experience in taking soldiers out of barracks to handle protesters. Its soldiers do not have enough experience in using riot gear and in controlling demonstrators. They might have to rely on their instincts while handling the situation," the source said.

If there was no need to enforce the ISA in Chiang Mai, then soldiers would support the police force in securing the situation, the source said.

Third Army chief Lt Gen Thanongsak Apirakyothin had reiterated his opposition to imposing the security act in Chiang Mai, said the source.

The meeting chaired by Gen Anupong also discussed measures to protect the prime minister if he decides to attend the Chiang Mai meeting on Sunday.

Source: Red Shirts news, Political news, Thaksin news at Bangkok Post.