By Ambika Ahuja and Panarat Thepgumpanat
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Hoping to avoid a repeat of violent riots last year, Thailand has strengthened crowd control and security ahead of an anti-government protest planned for this month, a deputy prime minister said on Wednesday.
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Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban gives an interview at the Government House in Bangkok February 3, 2010. Suthep said the government believes it will be able to handle security during anti-government protests later this month and that security forces will be ready to handle any attempt to create chaos. (REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang) |
Suthep Thaugsuban, Thailand's minister in charge of security, said police and soldiers were better prepared than last year when a three-week blockade of the premier's office by protesters in April sparked Thailand's worst street violence in 17 years.
The riots forced Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to call a state of emergency and stoked concern for the stability of Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy and Thailand's four-year political crisis, which has already triggered a damaging credit-rating downgrade.
Thais are bracing for a new round of protests in Bangkok by supporters of former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra ahead of a Feb. 26 Supreme Court verdict on whether to confiscate $2.3 billion of his family's assets.
Thakin's red-shirted supporters have held small rallies almost daily this year, often targeting the military amid rumours of another coup. They promise larger protests as the court verdict nears, to pressure Abhisit to dissolve parliament and call fresh polls.
"I believe the government will be able to handle the situation. There will be no bloodshed," Suthep told Reuters.
Thailand's response to protests made a notable shift in August when it began to aggressively invoke the newly-ratified Internal Security Act that allows the military to move quickly, without declaring a state of emergency, if protests turn unruly.
The law allows troops to impose curfews, operate checkpoints and restrict movements of protesters ahead of a rally.
Suthep said other crowd-control techniques have also been adopted.
"(In October 2008), we saw guns shooting tear gas which people felt was a huge deal. If we need tear gas this time, we'll use the throwing kind and (police) are trained to use it right."
Suthep said the government has purchased enough riot-control equipment, including vests, batons and shields, so security officers can protect themselves if a riot breaks out.
"Even in using water hoses to break up a crowd, they have to be trained. If it's not done well, it can be dangerous," he said.
PROTESTS EXPECTED TO END BY MARCH
While most protesters are peaceful, Suthep said the government believes some want to provoke violence. He said security forces have been told to restrain from using excessive force, arming themselves only with batons and shields.
He declined to directly address questions about whether he feared a security breakdown within the police -- a big concern among political analysts. Last year's riots were eventually quelled by the military after days of no action by the police.
Suthep said the military will provide backup if the police cannot control the crowd, adding that the critical period should be over by March.
"They cannot sustain the fight forever," Suthep said of Thaksin's supporters, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship. "If they cannot ignite it, it will go back to being a small-scale and scattered uprising as it is now."
The government has also ordered police to step up security for key figures including members of anti-graft bodies, prosecutors, supreme court judges and cabinet ministers.
The government has also increased security presence at Abhisit's residence after bags of excrement were hurled into the compound while guards were taking a short break on Monday.
"This is not just about the numbers of security officers. We will have to be more rigorous," Suthep said. "For example, they have to handle shifts well and leave no room for anyone to strike."
(Editing by Jason Szep)
Copyright © 2008 Reuters
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