PM vows to visit Chiang Mai despite threats

The Chiang Mai provincial administration and police will seek a warrant for the arrest of a local red-shirt leader for having allegedly made a car-bomb assassination threat against the prime minister.

Chiang Mai Deputy Governor Pairoj Saengpuwong said police are in the process of gathering evidence to seek an arrest warrant from the Chiang Mai Court against Phetchawat Wattanpongsirikul, a leader of the Chiang Mai Loving 51 Group.

Pairoj said Phetchawat allegedly announced on a Chiang Mai community radio station that Abhisit would be attacked with a car bomb when he chairs the Chamber of Commerce meeting at the Le Meridien Hotel in Chiang Mai on Sunday.

Pairoj said the alleged assassination threat was a crime against the state so police could initiate legal action without having to wait for anyone to file a complaint against the red-shirt leader.

Pairoj said Phetchawat is also facing 10 other legal cases and Chiang Mai Governor Amornphan Nimanan and Provincial Police Bureau 5 Commissioner Pol Lt-General Somkid Boonthanom had instructed police to speed up the cases.

During his weekly television programme, Abhisit said he had been able to travel to many areas and had seen anti-government protests under control, but in Chiang Mai there had been a threat on his life, which is illegal. The government would take strict action, he said. He called on the red shirts to review their decision and not bring about turmoil because the people who would face the negative consequences were the people of Chiang Mai.

"The activity [that he is joining] is being organised by the private sector that wants to restore confidence. Creating turmoil does not help any one,'' Abhisit said.

He said the Cabinet would tomorrow discuss if there was a need to impose the Internal Security Act.

The PM dismissed concerns that the red-shirt movement in Chiang Mai would be able to topple his government saying if there would be any political change, it would be done through the parliamentary system. He downplayed statements made by Pheu Thai Party chairman General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh or former Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat saying whatever they had said were aimed at boosting the morale of the red shirts.

PM's Office Minister Satit Wongnongtaey said the government would take legal action against programme hosts of the community radio station that issued a threat to Abhisit's life. Police have gathered all tapes of the programmes. He said many stations and programme hosts had already had court cases and they action would be taken if they committed the offence again.

Concerned officials have been instructed to monitor all radio stations on whether they incite unrest or just offer normal political criticism.

He said any station that had not been registered would be shut down immediately. Satit vowed to bring those who had made a death threat on the PM to justice within next week as he would go to Chiang Mai on Sunday.

Satit said the red shirts in Chiang Mai had stepped up their campaign at the order of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was afraid of losing his assets, if the court rules that he was unusually rich and orders confiscation of his frozen assets.