Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej declared a state of emergency yesterday in Bangkok, but Army chief Anupong Paochinda was quick to say he would not use force to evict protesters occupying the prime minister’s official compound.
“If we thought we could use police and soldiers to get them out with a peaceful conclusion, we would do it. But we think that that would create more problems,” Anupong told a news conference after a man died in clashes between pro and anti-government protesters.
He said troops would carry only shields and batons if ordered into the streets, adding: “They will not be armed, they will not wear bulletproof vests.”
Samak gave no timeframe for how long the decree would stay in effect but said it would be over “moderately quickly.”
“I did it to solve the problems of the country,” Samak said in a televised news conference at a military headquarters in Bangkok. “I had no other choice. The softest means available was an emergency decree to end the situation using the law.”
At Government House, leaders of the protest movement that vowed to stay behind their barricades of razor wire and car tires.
“There are not enough jails to put us all into,” Chamlong Srimuang, one of the leaders of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), told thousands of cheering supporters inside the compound.
He called for more people to join the protest against Samak. His message was carried on PAD radio and satellite TV, which remained on air despite the state of emergency.
Some schools and shops were shut in Bangkok but traffic flowed, with no major security presence or tanks in the streets.
At least one man was killed and 45 hurt in overnight clashes between the PAD and pro-government supporters. About 400 soldiers were sent to back up police struggling to contain the skirmishes. Several shots were fired, but it was not clear by whom.
Meanwhile, protesters closed down Hat Yai International Airport again yesterday in a show of solidarity for fellow demonstrators in Bangkok.
Samak faced a new threat yesterday when the Election Commission recommended his ruling People Power Party (PPP) be disbanded for vote buying in December’s election. The commission forwarded its findings to the Attorney General’s Office to decide whether to submit the case to the Constitutional Court for a final ruling — a process that could take months.
MOFA WARNING
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday warned travelers to take extra precautions when traveling to Bangkok.
Ministry Spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政) said the representative in Bangkok had formed a special task force to handle emergencies. He urged travelers to call the office if they need help (6-681-6664006 or 6-681-6664008).
The Travel Agent Association said about 50 people scheduled to leave Bangkok yesterday canceled their trip. Association secretary-general Roget Hsu (許高慶), however, said the situation was not serious.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JENNY W. HSU AND SHELLEY SHAN
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘NOT SUBORDINATE’: Only Taiwanese can decide the nation’s future, and people preserving their democratic way of life is not a provocation, President William Lai said Taiwan does not want China’s “one country, two systems,” and must uphold its freedom and democracy as well as resolve to defend itself, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, rejecting Beijing’s latest bid to bring the country under Chinese control. The president made the remarks while attending a commissioning ceremony for Taiwan’s first battalion of M1A2T Abrams tanks in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口). The tanks are made by General Dynamics, a major US defense contractor. China this week said it “absolutely will not” rule out using force over Taiwan, striking a much tougher tone than a series of articles in state media
RSS