Red shirts given sharp warning against seizure

Government figures yesterday warned red-shirt supporters of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra of strict legal action against any attempt to seize Government House.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said he had instructed the police to take decisive action if red-shirt protesters broke the law.

"If the police don't do anything about it, that will be regarded as wilful neglect of duty," he said.

Suthep said he believed police would not allow the red shirts to break into the Government House compound as they had threatened and that the police would ask for reinforcements from the military if needed.

"I did not order the police to use force, but rather instructed them to act in line with international standards" in dealing with similar cases, said Suthep, who is also secretary-general of the Democrat Party.

He suggested the government would not follow its immediate predecessors, which failed to take any legal action against the People's Alliance for Democracy when that group took over Government House and remained there for more than three months.

Suthep, who is in charge of security affairs, said he had instructed national police chief General Patcharawat Wongsuwan to mobilise police officers to control the expected crowd to prevent any action that was contrary to law.

The red shirts, led by politicians loyal to Thaksin, are set to hold a rally at Sanam Luang today and also threatened to "follow in the PAD's footsteps" by taking over Government House.

PM's Office Minister Satit Wongnongtaey yesterday said the government did not intend to resort to violence and no force would be used in dispersing protesters.

"But authorities will have to enforce the law strictly. So the leaders of the red shirts should consider whether what they are going to do will benefit society or only certain people. They will have to think whether damage will be done to the country," he said.

Yesterday, many officials and vendors at Government House took home their valuable belongings for fear of another possible seizure of the compound.

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan yesterday rejected a claim by the red shirts that the military was infiltrating their ranks and that the infiltrators were posing as red-shirt protesters.

Meanwhile, Metropolitan Police commissioner Lt-General Suchart Muenkaew said yesterday that unarmed and peaceful protests could be organised under the Constitution.

He said police would not allow protesters to lay a siege or prevent the government from performing its duty.

Suchart said more than 5,000 police officers would be deployed to uphold law and order in the capital during today's rally.

"Police will deploy 35 companies, and we have already coordinated with the military, who will have 25 companies on standby," Suchart told reporters after a security meeting held ahead of the rally.

He said a further 22 companies of police would be on standby. Each police company has 150 officers while a military company has about 80.

In a related development, some 200 red-shirts from Lampang yesterday took a train to join the rally in Bangkok today.

They gathered at Lampang railway station in the morning and posed for pictures together.

They said they were joining the rally to show the force of the red-shirts.

Earlier, about 300 red shirts from Chiang Mai and Lamphun were also heading for the capital by train.