Deputy PM orders vehicle search to bar weapons from Bangkok rally

BANGKOK, March 5 (TNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban has ordered searches of inbound vehicles to prevent them carrying weapons to join anti-government mass rally in the capital next week.

The demonstration of the anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), the Red Shirts, is set to start March 14 as its members from across the country will travel to join their group in Bangkok from March 12.

Mr Suthep said Thursday’s security meeting was held to further evaluate the situation. He also asked the Red Shirts to use public transport to the capital instead of bringing in their own vehicles to avoid traffic congestion.

However, if they travel by their own cars, he advised that they park their vehicles at designated locations on the outskirts of Bangkok. He will cooperate with the Ministry of Transport to provide transportation service for them to the protest sites.

DPM Suthep said he instructed the Interior Ministry to conduct vehicle searches to prevent protesters from carrying arms to rally sites and to check drivers’ identification cards and license plates to prevent using cars to carry out an attack.

He asserted that no order was issued to ban buses from carrying protesters to Bangkok. Buses will run normally and third-class trains still offer free transport (under government measures to help low income earners).

It depends on the situation whether or not the government will decide to invoke the Internal Security Act (ISA) during the protest. If the situation worsens and becomes a risk, the government must impose the ISA, said the deputy prime minister.

If a leader or protester poses a threat to the public, police will seek an arrest warrant for them, or if some Red Shirt members released on bail, do so, officials will ask the court to revoke bail, he added.

Asked about the trail of the money inflow from the Middle East, Mr Suthep said he received a report on that but has no evidence that it is connected to the rally.

The deputy prime minister also said he would clarify the facts with senior monks that the government has never put the names of 11 senior monks on the  black list as charged in the parliamentary debate on Thursday.

A key Red Shirt leader Arisman Pongruangrong said 20,000 monks will join the demonstration on March 14.

Mr Suthep said monks should not participate in political activities and called on them not to get involved in the demonstration even if they were asked or convinced.

Police, meanwhile, have prepared security measures to brace for the Red Shirt mass rally, said Acting Police Chief Pol. Gen. Patheep Tanprasert.

The acting police chief also ordered traffic police to prepare tow cars to be used to move vehicles in case protesters park vehicles to block roads, which is violation of the traffic law.

If protesters create human shields to block a road, Gen Patheep said that the officers have a process to handle it. (TNA)