Business as usual in Bangkok

Life in Bangkok went on as usual despite a state of emergency declared in the city.

Thai scholar and politician, Professor Dr Kriengsak Chareonwongsak, speaking to Astro Awani from Bangkok said that while there is an increase of police presence in the capital, the situation is calm at the moment.

The decree, declared by the Thailand cabinet on Tuesday, aimed at giving officials more power to handle the anti-government protests leading up to general elections on February 2.

“I don’t think they intend to use the emergency decree to disperse the crowd. It’s just a matter of getting themselves ready in case of more unrest in the next ten crucial days. They want the ability to handle the situation,” he said.

The 60-day emergency decree, which came into force on Wednesday, gave security agencies the power to impose curfews, detain suspects without charge, censor media, ban political gatherings of more than five people and declare areas which are off-limits.

Although the emergency rule is a move repeatedly used by the Thai government in the past to quell protests and restore order, Chareonwongsak said the move came as an early surprise to him.

“The government use the same tools over and over again. While the protests have been going on for two months, I didn’t think they will do it yesterday as there were no circumstances to call for an emergency yet.”

The emergency rule is currently administered by the police.

The military commanders have stated that they do not want to be drawn into the conflict between the government and its opponents.

“The government has the power to get the military involved but not this time. The military remains in the background while the police are put in charge for now,” he added

In 2010, a military crackdown on anti-government protestors left more than 85 dead and 1,378 injured.