PM cancels Australia visit; Cabinet to consider invoking security law

BANGKOK, March 8 (TNA) – Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Monday said he has cancelled his planned official visit to Australia this week after the security-monitoring committee resolved to ask the Cabinet to invoke the Internal Security Act (ISA) in the capital and its environs between March 11 to 23 to prevent any untoward incident during the planned Red Shirt rally.

Mr Abhisit was scheduled to visit Australia March 13-17 at the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Speaking at a news conference after a two-hour meeting of top military and police officers, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the committee’s resolution to be proposed at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting resolved to apply the ISA in Bangkok and in some districts of Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, and Samut Prakan.

“The security law is necessary to protect Bangkokians from any unexpected incident as intelligence reports indicate that some groups of people will blockade some official premises and the homes of key [public] figures. The planned action is deemed as violating the country’s Constitution,” said Mr Suthep who supervises national security affairs and chairs the security-monitoring committee.

The deputy prime minister urged the public to stay calm, reasoning that the internal security act will authorise more state personnel including Bangkok Metropolitan Authority officials to help police maintain law and order.

He added that the government may announce an extra public holiday during the protest given that it is necessary for the safety of the public.

The committee estimated the planned mass rally is likely to draw hundreds of thousands of demonstrators.

Acting national police chief Pol Gen Pateep Tanprasert has been assigned to send police teams to talk and urge them to use public transportation or park their vehicles in designated areas without obstructing the flow of traffic, otherwise legal action will be taken against them, according to Mr Suthep.

Meanwhile, Nattawut Saikua, a key leader of the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) challenged the government to invoke the security law, saying his group will not call off its planned mass rally in the capital this Sunday.

The UDD announced that it is mobilising at least a million supporters nationwide to join the mass rally March 14 aiming at bringing down the Abhisit Vejjajiva government. (TNA)