The Government to deal with the upcoming Red-Shirt Rally, September 19

The anti-government UDD pledged to gather up and form the rally again on September 19, as well as to celebrate their political hero Taksin Shinawatra’s third anniversary of the coup D'etat.

Supachai revealed that Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who chairs the centre, reported to the Cabinet at its weekly meeting on the implementation of the Internal Security Act (ISA) during the past four days that the core leaders of UDD still attacked the government. However, the cabinet last week has imposed the ISA for four days from last Saturday 31, in the capital’s Dusit district where Red Shirt protesters planned to demonstrate.

Mr. Supachai said the Center has evaluated the situation and believed that the UDD demonstration September 19 would be prolonged and the core leaders were trying to strengthen up and activate their supporters to believe that the rally could organize even if the government said it was illegal.

He continued to reveal that from now on the police would be the main channel of keeping law and order while personnel from the Army, Navy and Air Force as well as the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)'s City Law Enforcement Department would play supportive roles in order to keep things and people as well as the national in order. Moreover, in case of the violence would occur which might affect the internal security, the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) would immediately ask the Cabinet to convene in special session to approve implementation of ISA.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva revealed that the ISA in Dusit district has already expired on Tuesday night, still if there is necessity to re-implement the act, the special Cabinet session would announce the use of the Act with no hesitation.

“The Law and Order Maintenance Operation Centre reported that the UDD is still active but could not conclude whether its activities would lead to violence. Any violence to be occurred and considering to harm the internal security, the special convene will immediately be announced to control the situation,” said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.