Stringent, legal measures to be taken against Thai protesters

Stringent but legal measures under the emergency decree will be taken against anti-government protesters, director of Thailand's government-run Center for Maintaining Peace and Order said Tuesday. From Tuesday, police can arrest, without prior warning, protesters who besiege government offices or important figures' residences, Chalerm Yubamrung, also caretaker labor minister, was quoted by Bangkok Post as saying. But action will not be taken against protesters gathering at rally sites, he said, adding he believed protesters there will eventually stop rallying because their patience and funds will run out. The police will not arrest protest leaders now so as not to provoke confrontation, according to Chalerm. The United Nations Human Rights Office for South East Asia ( OHCHR) on Tuesday expressed concerns over clashes between protesters and pro-government "red shirts" in the capital on Saturday, which left eight people injured. In a statement, the OHCHR called on all sides to refrain from carrying weapons or resorting to violence. It also stressed that people are entitled to express their opinions in a peaceful manner, as well as exercise their voting rights. A total of 11,041 voters have filed complaints with the police about being disrupted from casting ballots in Sunday's election, according to spokesman of the Royal Thai Police Piya Uthayo.