Thailand’s caretaker government has claimed that it will remain incontrol during two separate mass rallies to be staged by opponents andsupporters on April 5.
The country’s Deputy Prime MinisterSurapong Tovichakchaikul said on April 1 that the Internal Security Act(ISA), currently imposed in the capital Bangkok and surrounding areas,will be adequate for the government to monitor the situation and preventconfrontation.
The same day, army chief Prayuth Chanochastressed that the armed forces are obliged to protect all groups ofpeople, expressing his belief that the rallies will not cause problems.
Earlier, anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsubanannounced a major gathering of protest leaders on April 5 to discusstheir next move.
Meanwhile, Aksa Road in Bangkok is expected tobe a rally site for the pro-government United Front for Democracyagainst Dictatorship (UDD), also called the “red shirts”.
TheThai Centre for the Administration for Peace and Order (CAPO) predictedthat at least 100,000 “red shirt” members will join the upcoming rallywhile UDD Chairman Jatuporn Prompan estimated that the number mayamount to 500,000.-VNA