Major shopping malls and stores have beefed up security ahead of the red-shirt rally starting on Friday.
"We'll be on highest alert during the days of demonstration, and an emergency plan can be implemented immediately if something violent occurs," The Mall Group senior chief marketing officer Chamnarn Maytaprechakul said yesterday.
About 200 extra security guards have been deployed at the group's shopping malls, bringing the total to more than 1,000.
"All of the group's executives will have their mobile phones on all day during the rally, so they can contact each other at all times," Chamnarn said, adding that Friday would be an unpredictable day.
"Whatever will be, will be. We must be good at heart to stay in society at this time and lead our lives as usual," he said. "I don't want to use the word 'fear'. With fear, we'll do nothing. We'll be more cautious this time but not worse, because we won't be going out anywhere."
Tesco Lotus senior vice president Darmp Sukontasap said the safety of staff and customers was the top priority for the hypermarket chain.
"Like everyone else, we hope the situation this weekend remains peaceful and will pass without incident. However, to be prudent, for the past several weeks we've put in place a contingency plan that would allow our business to continue functioning smoothly through any crisis situation," he said.
The plan included hotlines for staff and customers to keep them updated on developments. A crisis-management team within the company is also on standby and ready to take action if the situation escalates.
"In the meantime, we've tightened security in and around our stores, in order to ensure the safety of our staff and customers. I'd like to assure our customers that whatever the situation, we're doing all we can to ensure Tesco Lotus stores continue to be a safe and enjoyable shopping place for them and their families," Darmp said.
Central Pattana (CPN) executive vice president Nattakit Tangpoonsinthana said CPN had tightened security measure at all CentralWorld and Central Plaza shopping centres as a precaution for this weekend's planned red-shirt gathering.
"We've increased the number of security guards and enforce strict security checks at all shopping centre entrances. We also have working teams to update the present situation with the authorities," he said.
"We believe the government will be able to control the situation. All of the big events at our shopping centres, such as a concert by leading South Korean boy band 2pm and others sponsored by big brands like Sunsilk at CentralWorld, remain in the pipeline as planned.
"We want the protest to be conducted peacefully. It should not disrupt people's lives or the economy. We are seeing good signs for the economic outlook and don't want the protest to damage the country's image and reputation."
