Thai government to lift state of emergency in Bangkok

The Thai government has agreed to lift a state of emergency in Bangkok eight months after a bloody crackdown on “Red Shirt” protesters, but the authorities will retain broad powers to detain suspects.

By News Wires (text)

AP - Thailand will lift a state of emergency Wednesday that was imposed eight months ago when Red Shirt protesters overran Bangkok, but the government will retain broad powers to detain suspects and impose order.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the current situation no longer justified the sweeping controls imposed during April riots by the anti-government protesters, who camped for weeks in a zone fortified by wooden stakes in the heart of the capital and clashed with soldiers in violence that left 90 people dead.

However, Abhisit indicated that the government was still rattled by continuing political turmoil that some feel could explode again into violence.

The government will retain extraordinary powers under the Internal Security Act, which Abhisit called “a normal security law.” Created in 2008 during simmering anti-government unrest, the act allows authorities to hold suspects without charge for up to seven days. It also allows for curfews and restrictions on freedom of movement in situations deemed harmful to national security.

“Concerned security officials have to be able to monitor peace and order and be ready to handle any untoward incident,” Abhisit told reporters after meeting with his Cabinet Tuesday to revoke the emergency decree.

Occasional but growing protests have continued since the army cracked down on the Red Shirt encampment on May 19. During the demonstration’s final weeks, rolling clashes between troops and Red Shirt protesters killed 90 people and wounded more than 1,400. It was the country’s worst political violence in decades.

Although the violence subsided, the Red Shirt movement exposed a deep rich-poor divide in Thailand which remains unsolved.

Discontent has been brewing for years, ever since protests were launched in 2006 accusing then-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of corruption and abuse of power.

The military ousted Thaksin in a September 2006 coup, but he remains popular with his mostly rural followers, who together with democracy activists formed the Red Shirt movement which has continued to hold peaceful rallies that it vows to ramp up in the New Year.

A state of emergency was initially declared in April in Bangkok after demonstrators broke into the Parliament building to press their demands for early elections. It was later extended to cover almost one-third of the country’s 76 provinces and has gradually been lifted in most locations except Bangkok and three surrounding provinces.

A state of emergency allows the government to impose sweeping restrictions on civil liberties.

It allows authorities to declare curfews, prohibit public gatherings, censor and ban publications and detain suspects without charge for up to 30 days. Government officials acting under the decree cannot be investigated for wrongdoing or brought to court. Critics said the decree was selectively enforced and used to harass government opponents.