Army declared a state of emergency in Thailand

The Thai Army has declared a state of emergency, in a surprise move in that it says, seeks to restore order after six months of political unrest, protests and attacks that have killed at least 28 people. Soldiers in vehicles armed with machine guns patrol the streets of Bangkok and have taken control of the television. The Government, however, continues to lead the country, and the military, who have also imposed censorship in the media, has stated that “it is not a hit (State).”

The Government was not informed in advance of the decision before the announcement on television at 3 in the morning. The army chief, General Prayuth Chan- ocha said they have taken charge of public safety, due to the ongoing protests, which have claimed lives and caused damage. “We fear that this violence could damage the country’s security in general. So, in order to restore law and order in the country, we declared martial law,” he said. “I call on all activists groups to cease all their activities and cooperate with us to get out of this crisis.” Protesters and government supporters opposed it are camped in various places in Bangkok, and the military has ordered them to stay where they are and do not engage gears to avoid clashes.

The Government has welcomed the initiative to restore order and says that although it was not informed of the declaration of a state of emergency, is the head of the country. “The government has no problem with this and can govern the country in a normal way,” said Justice Minister, Chaikasen Nitisiri. The Thai Constitution gives the Army the right to declare a state of emergency in case of urgent need.

Thailand is mired in a deep political crisis since 2006, a military coup deposed the prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former telecommunications tycoon turned politician. Thaksin was accused of corruption, abuse of power and disrespect to King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Since then, supporters and opponents of Thaksin are locked in a power struggle.

The latest round of fighting began last November, when anti-government protesters took to the streets to try to eject from office of Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, who is Thaksin’s sister. Yingluck dissolved the lower house of parliament in December, but failed to end the protests against her cabinet. The elections held last February were annulled by the Constitutional Court to have been interrupted in many constituencies, and although new elections for July 20 are announced, are likely to be delayed.

Thai political mess is further sank earlier this month, when the Constitutional Yingluck ordered nine members of her government to leave office for abuse of power; a decision that has engulfed the country in political limbo and has not alleviated the crisis.

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Posted by Jamshed Sindhu on May 21 2014. Filed under World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.