Thai protest leader: Emergency decree will be ignored

Thailand's anti-government protest leader vowed the demonstrations will go on despite a state of emergency declared in Bangkok and nearby areas. As the two-month-long political crisis in the country took a new turn with the imposition of emergency rule by the caretaker government of embattled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the United States, a close ally of Thailand, strongly condemned the growing violence that has marked the anti-government protests. The decree was announced Tuesday night by the Yingluck government, which now functions in a caretaker capacity ahead of the scheduled Feb. 2 elections, which the protesters and the main opposition intend to sit out. The decree, which will remain in effect for 60 days, or well past the election date, gives wide powers to the government. Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban said his supporters will defy the order and that the rallies will go on, the Bangkok Post reported Wednesday. "Is there anything that is an emergency in this country?" he asked. "We have been protesting for three months already. Why declare an emergency now?" Suthep leads the protest movement called the People's Democratic Reform Committee. "We will defy them all," he said. "We will march on every road they have banned [us from marching on]. We will use loudspeakers even if they prohibit us from doing so. We will do everything they forbid us to do." In a statement issued Tuesday, Marie Harf, deputy spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said the United States "strongly condemns increasing violence in Bangkok that has resulted in deaths and injuries." The statement urged Thai authorities to investigate the attacks and bring those responsible to justice. "The United States supports democratic institutions and processes in Thailand, our long-time friend and ally," she said. "We encourage all involved to commit to sincere dialogue to resolve political differences peacefully and democratically. The situation in Bangkok has worsened following bombings last week in which at least one person died and dozens more were injured. Thailand's army has said its intelligence found weapons being smuggled into Bangkok, raising the specter of more violence. The military had earlier blocked attempts to impose the emergency decree. But it relented after a wave of attacks on the protesters as their Bangkok shutdown operation entered a second week, the Post said. Under the new arrangement, caretaker Labor Minister Chalerm Yubamrung will assume charge of the Center for Peacekeeping, which can order the army to step up security. A military source told the Post the army understands the police force needs a tool to help enforce the decree, under which a suspect can be held for up to 30 days. There will also be stricter control of media outlets, seen as being exploited to deepen divisiveness. "The military is aware that the protesters do not trust the police so the police need the military to help coordinate," the source told the Post. However, the source was quoted as saying the military will not crack down on or confront protesters. Deputy Prime Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul assured the government would strictly comply with international practices and would not use force to break up the protests. However, the protesters see the decree as a way to bring about a crackdown. "Since we are unarmed, the violence must have come from the government." Suthep said. "We will step up our rallies to counter the emergency decree." Opposition Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said instead of imposing the emergency, the government should have reinforced its security to ensure safety. The Bangkok Nation, quoting sources, said the emergency decree decision was made by Yingluck and some members of her Cabinet. In an indication of possible disagreement, the military only sent representatives instead of commanders to the meeting. Yingluck was quoted as saying she had instructed operations officials to exercise utmost restraint when handling the protest. Since the protest began in November, at least nine people have died and more than 500 people injured. The protesters blame the government and the red-shirt United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship for the recent attacks, but supporters of the government including those clad in red shirts claim the protesters and military officers are responsible to provoke anti-government sentiment. Yingluck has said voting in the Feb. 2 elections would be the best way to remove her from office. But the main opposition Democrat Party and the protesting PDRC are boycotting the election. The protesters oppose the election being overseen by Yingluck's government, demanding that it be conducted by a "people's council." They maintain her government is corrupt and is controlled by her brother Thaksin -- a former premier and a telecommunications billionaire who has lived in exile since he was ousted in a coup in 2006. The government denies the allegations.