Tight security for verdict

Security has been beefed up at the Constitution Court in a government complex in northern Bangkok, and the Royal Plaza to cope with anticipated rallies by either red shirts or their opponents for the much-awaited verdict tomorrow.
People gathering will be allowed in an area only at the front of the court, where a live televised reading of the verdict will be arranged, senior police commander Pol Maj-General Parinya Jansuriya said. Four companies of anti-riot policemen are being deployed inside the court compound while another nine companies are ready to prevent clashes between gatherers disagreeing with the verdict.
Extra police force will be stationed at the Royal Plaza, where a large number of taxis will converge this afternoon until tomorrow morning, the officer said. “The taxi drivers will possibly continue their rally over the weekend if the verdict is not in their favour,” he added.
Deputy Prime Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha said the authorities have contingency plans to ensure peace after the verdict. “The security and all preventive measures will be put in place starting today, the eve of the verdict day,” he added.
In case political violence erupts, the military will take charge in shielding and evacuating the judges, he said.
He said three companies of policemen, on alert for deployment, would be inadequate for crowd control if the rival camps mobilise their supporters.
The government has instructed the police to prepare reinforcement anti-riot forces if deemed necessary, said Yuthasak.
At this juncture, existing security agencies can cope with the situation and there is no justification to invoke the emergency law, he said.

opposing camps
Yuthasak said his concern was not about rallies tomorrow, the day of verdict, but the post-verdict situation after the opposing camps had the time to plan and execute their course of action.
Yuthasak chaired a meeting of all military and civilian intelligence units to discuss security measures, and the meeting’s conclusion was, in his words, “to anticipate incidents, rather than be careless and stay put”.
Among security measures are a ban on alcoholic drinks at the site, and a total restriction on rival groups entering the Constitution Court compound. Asked whether the travel of red shirts from outside Bangkok would be banned, Yuthasak said the movement in the provinces was still not very active.
“The rallies on the day should not involve many people, but after the verdict is read out, that is what we have to be very careful about,” he added. He said there would be no need to use special laws, although troops from the Supreme Command or the Armed Forces had been readied for possible evacuation of the judges, in addition to deployment of policemen.
He said no formal request had been made to the military for other support, but the troops were ever-ready to assist policemen, upon request.
Asked whether as a member of the Pheu Thai government he would use his connections and seek cooperation from red shirts, Yuthasak said the party had worked jointly with them, but he was not aware of any talks between the red masses and the party.
The red shirts earlier threatened to execute a citizen arrest of the high court judges if tomorrow’s verdict blocks the charter amendment bill, Pheu Thai MP Kokaew Pikulthong said yesterday.
“I am going to fight and the red shirts are ready to bid farewell to their families to wage an all-out war,” he said.
Kokaew reminded the Constitution Court that the people would not accept a judicial decision that interpreted the push for charter change as an attempt to topple democratic rule.
He said he was still optimistic that the verdict would be acceptable to all sides such as a caution against a complete rewrite of the charter.
The red shirts would not react before having the time to study
the verdict, he said.
In the worst-case scenario of an unfavourable verdict, the red shirts would take action on their own if the police refused to arrest the judges for usurping power from an elected government, he said.
He said the government’s opponents might try to mobilise the masses to shield the high court and counter the red shirts. And this would likely lead to a street battle that would, in turn, trigger a military intervention, he added.
“If there is a coup, the red shirts will fight to the bitter end,” he said, warning of tragic losses.
Pheu Thai MP Weng Tojirakarn urged a faction of the red shirts to cancel a plan to encamp at the Royal Plaza ahead of tomorrow’s verdict. “All the reds should not mobilise before their leaders decided on the timing,” he said.
He stated that any actions taken by the red shirts should not be construed as applying pressure to sway the verdict. People have the right to air their opinions if they see the high court as transgressing on the separation of powers between the legislature, the government and the judiciary, he said.
The high court has to rule within its jurisdiction granted by the Constitution, otherwise its decision would be unconstitutional, he said.
Another coalition MP, Worachai Hama, said millions of red shirts would descend on the streets to dismantle the high court if the verdict were unjust and unlawful.
Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva urged the government to rein in the red shirts.
“It is unacceptable to condone the red shirts harassing the high court under the guise of freedom of expression,” he said.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s indifference might be a wrong signal to the red shirts who often rally beyond the sanction of the law then renounce their involvement later, he said.
He said he saw no justification in allowing the red shirts to carry on threatening the high court should the verdict be unfavourable.
The government had no excuse to ignore the political volatility as all prevailing disputes could be traced back to the coalition’s initiatives on charter change and reconciliation, he said.
Opponents and proponents have mapped out plans to react to the verdict, seen as either negative or positive depending on the respective views of the opposing camps, and the authorities will have to take every precaution to foil any attempts to instigate political violence, he said.