The Thai government has invoked the internal security act (ISA) to deal
with planned anti-government protests in central Bangkok after a series
of violent rallies rocked the capital city in recent years.
A government official said that the cabinet has decided to issue the
ISA for ten days in three inner districts of the capital.
The
security law enables the government to prevent the use of certain routes
or vehicles, impose a curfew, ban gatherings and carry out searches of
buildings, according to the official.
The decision was made in
the context that the Thai People’s Army, a newly-formed coalition of
ultra-royalist groups who oppose the Puea Thai ruling party and exiled
former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has vowed to protest in
Bangkok on August 4, possibly for several days.
It is targeting a
government-backed bill, due to be introduced in parliament on August 7
which would propose an amnesty for those involved in several bouts of
political violence that have rocked the nation since a 2006 coup toppled
Thaksin.
The government estimated that there will be a large
number of protesters from the camps both ‘for’ and ‘against’ the bill,
so to prevent them from confrontation it has to invoke the special
security law, Paradorn Pattanatabut, secretary-general of the National
Security Council, said.
Two months of mass opposition protests in
2010 by “Red Shirt” supporters of Thaksin sparked a wave of violence
that left about 90 people dead and nearly 1,900 wounded.-VNA