The government is obligated to keep peace and the security forces have been instructed to ready measures to control the situation amid the anticipated red-shirt protests, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban said yesterday.
"Protests must not disrupt the people's daily life nor damage commerce and the economy," he said.
Suthep voiced concern that last week's meeting between former premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his red-shirt supporters might point to the mushrooming of street protests in the capital and upcountry.
Every provincial governor and all provincial offices of the Internal Security Operations Command have been authorised to carry out crowd-control measures to safeguard government installations, the infrastructure for basic services and the transportation system, he said.
The civilian, police and military units will work in an integrated manner for peace-keeping. In the capital, soldiers have been instructed to help police deal with protesters, he said.
He urged members of the public to alert the authorities about any suspicious activities which could lead to violence.
The authorities are closely keeping a tab on the red shirts to determine whether they would escalate their protests into an armed struggle, he said.
Commenting on Thaksin's demand for negotiations to thwart the possibility of violence, the deputy prime minister said preconditions, such as the return of Bt76 billion in frozen assets, expunging his conviction and revoking his two-year jail term made it impossible for talks to take place.
The government is not in a position to interfere with the judiciary, he said.
Regarding the Thursday night meeting of the National Security Council, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said it was meant to assess the current situation and ensure preparedness to cope with unfolding events.
"The government is not trying to fight with any individuals or political camps but to safeguard peace and social order," he said.
He pledged to uphold the rule of law and human rights in reining in the crowds. He also said he was satisfied with the contingency plans and the preparedness of the riot force.
He said, however, that his government would not rule out the enforcement of the internal security law if the situation warranted.
Commenting on coup rumours, he said he was not in a position to confirm or deny since he had never had any thoughts about ousting himself. But all leading military figures, who are capable of seizing power had already stepped forward to deny such rumours, he added.
