Thai government extends internal security law

Thai government resolved Wednesday to extend the enforcement of the Internal Security Act (ISA) to March 1, 2014 in Bangkok and three adjacent provinces. The ISA was invoked in three districts in Bangkok in October, and was expanded in late November to cover the entire capital, the province of Nonthaburi and some districts in provinces of Samut Prakan and Pathum Thani. The ISA empowers security forces to block roads, restrict access to areas or buildings and disperse demonstrators. The ISA is extended because of the prolonged anti-government protest, the National Security Council Secretary-General Paradorn Pattanatabut was quoted by the Nation newspaper as saying. A group of protesters on Wednesday morning clashed with the police guarding a Bangkok stadium where candidate registration for Thailand's Feb. 2 general election is in process. The protesters got into a fight with the police while attempting to occupy a sports building at the Thai-Japanese Stadium, where the party-list candidate registration started Monday and will last till Friday. A protester was reportedly injured in the clash. Protest leader and former Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban reiterated Tuesday his demand for caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to resign from the caretaking post before the election. Otherwise, protesters will move to lock down the capital city on the election day, Suthep said.