BANGKOK: Thailand will lift a nearly two-month-old state of emergency in Bangkok and surrounding areas following an easing of political protests in the capital, a senior official said Tuesday.
The emergency decree will be replaced by another special law, the Internal Security Act, with effect from Wednesday until April 30, the prime minister's secretary-general, Suranand Vejjajiva, told AFP.
The Thai capital had been shaken by mass street demonstrations, demanding Yingluck's elected government step down to make way for an unelected “people's council” that would oversee reforms aimed at curbing the dominance of her billionaire family.
The kingdom has been bitterly divided since Yingluck's older brother Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted as prime minister by royalist generals in a coup more than seven years ago.
Critics accuse the billionaire tycoon-turned-politician of controlling his sister's government from Dubai, where he lives to avoid prison for a corruption conviction.
Thailand is spiralling into political violence as opposition and pro-government groups respond tit-for-tat against attacks and provocations.
The government notes that under the constitution an election should normally be held no more than 60 days after the dissolution of parliament, which happened in early December.
The protesters have staged a self-styled “shutdown” of Bangkok since January 13, occupying several main intersections, although attendance has gradually dwindled and disruption has been limited.
Previously, the government had declared a 60-day state of emergency in the capital and surrounding areas, giving authorities the power to ban public gatherings of more than five people, although they have not yet done so and demonstrators have vowed to defy the decree.
No comments:
Post a Comment