The Prime Minister has prepared an emergency decree should the People's Democratic Reform Committee protesters' shutdown of Bangkok planned for Jan. 13th turn violent
Govt to impose emergency rule if shutdown turns violent
The emergency decree is ready to be invoked if the planned shutdown of Bangkok turns violent, National Security Council secretary-general Paradorn Pattanatabut says. Lt Gen Paradorn said a plan to deal with the protests has been presented to the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order (Capo) and caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
The plan was formed during a meeting between police at key state agencies and police will contain any outbreaks of violence, he said.
Meanwhile the head of the Thai army is preemptively blaming the current administration should violence erupt.
Govt to blame if 'shutdown' turns violent, says Prayuth
Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha said Tuesday the government would in principle be held responsible for any violence that might break out during anti-government demonstrations.
This could be Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha's attempt to lay the groundwork for a military coup.
Yesterday in a move that may be meant to mollify the protesters' demands for reforms:
Thailand’s anti-corruption commission moves to impeach hundreds of politicians
Thailand’s anti-corruption commission says it will seek to charge hundreds of ruling party politicians over a failed attempt to amend the constitution, intensifying the country’s political crisis ahead of a planned shutdown of Bangkok on Monday.
Also yesterday Police were setting up checkpoints on some of the roads leading to the Democracy Monument sight of ongoing protests in the middle of Bangkok. I saw this checkpoint being set up at 9 PM last night, and it was still in operation after midnight when I checked again.
If it looked like the passengers of a vehicle were headed to take part in the protests, it seemed unlikely they made it past checkpoints like this one.