Bangkok to be under tight security during ASEAN summit

Oct 13, 2009, 8:20 GMT

   Bangkok - The Thai cabinet on Tuesday placed Bangkok's governmental district under a draconian security law to prevent violent protests in the capital during a South-East Asian summit later this month.

   'The cabinet has approved the imposition of the Internal Security Act in Bangkok's Dusit district from October 15 to 25,' National Security Council secretary-general Thawil Pliansri told reporters after a cabinet meeting on the issue.

   Bangkok's Dusit District includes Government House - the seat of the administration, and Parliament.

   Thailand will host the 15th summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) on October 23-25 at Hua Hin/Cha-am beach resorts in Prachuab Khiri Khan province, 130 kilometres south-east of Bangkok.

    The government last month decided to place Hua Hin/Cha-am under the Internal Security Act between October 12-27, allowing authorities to crack down on any protests or any signs of violent intent. Some 18,298 security personnel have been assigned to keep the peace at the two adjoining beach resorts during the summit.

   The tight security is deemed necessary to avoid a repeat of April's diplomatic fiasco, when anti-government protestors stormed the venue of an ASEAN-China-Japan-South Korea summit in Pattaya, 90 kilometres south-east of Bangkok, forcing Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to cancel the meeting.

   The government decided to impose tight security in Bangkok during the ASEAN summit in response to threats by the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) to hold mass rallies in the capital between October 17-24. Authorities also recently discovered unexploded bombs at different locations in the capital.

   'I affirm that imposing the ISA is a precautionary measure to prevent any untoward incident,' Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said.

   The UDD is a political movement trying to return fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawtara to power.

    Also known as the 'red shirts,' it was UDD followers who stormed the venue of the summit in April, scuttling the event and causing Thailand international embarrassment.