1. Statement by Pol. Gen. Adul Saengsingkaew (Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police in his capacity as the Director of CAPO)
- Various groups have made known their intention to hold political demonstrations on 4 August 2013 and there is the possibility that certain parties may attempt to cause incidents and escalate the situation. Initially, it is expected that at least 4,000 people will attend the demonstrations, and this could increase incrementally to tens of thousands depending on the situation.
- Accordingly, the Government decided to put into effect the Internal Security Act (ISA) in three districts, namely, Dusit, Phra Nakhon and Pomprap Sattrupai from 1 — 10 August 2013.
- The Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police has been appointed as Director of CAPO. Operations will mainly be conducted by the police with security forces providing support if needed.
- The people have the right to freedom of peaceful assembly without arms and the exercise of this right must not infringe the rights of others.
- Operations will adhere to the principles of compassion, rule of law and democracy. Appropriate measures will be implemented cautiously to address the situation. Everyone will be treated equally and without discrimination.
- Officers must carry out their duties in accordance with the law, international standards and principles of human rights.
- Crowd control will be carried out as necessary, in an appropriate and transparent manner and with the utmost restraint.
2. Statement by Pol. Gen.Worapong Chewprecha (Deputy Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police in his capacity as Secretary-General of CAPO)
- When carrying out crowd control measures, officers must bear in mind the people’s legal right to peaceful assembly without arms, human rights principles and international standards.
- Officers must consider both the protection of rights and the maintenance of peace and order, and ensure the balance of constitutional provisions with regard to the right to assembly, facilitating the people’s use of public areas and the maintenance of peace and order.
- Whenever there are illegal demonstrations, the responsible officers must carry out their duty in bringing the situation back to normal as soon as possible.
- Use of force must be in accordance with the principle of necessity, proportionality, legality and accountability. Measures must also be in accordance with international standards such as the United Nations Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials (1979) and the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials (1990).
3. Statement by Pol. Lt. Gen. Parinya Chansuriya (Deputy Commander of the Metropolitan Police)
- Operations will be aimed at maintaining peace and order for the public as well as government buildings. Measures will be carried out with utmost restraint and any use of force would be in accordance with policy.
- If there are any road closures, traffic police will be assigned to provide support and signs placed a long distance ahead. The public will be kept informed of any such road closures.
4. Statement by Mr. Manasvi Srisodapol (Director-General of the Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
- On 31 July 2013, the Cabinet approved the imposition of the ISA in three districts of Bangkok, namely, Dusit, Phra Nakhon and Pomprap Sattrupai from 1 — 10 August 2013 in light of the political demonstrations being organized within this period.
- The ISA is being used as a preventative measure to maintain law and order, prevent any untoward incidents and ensure that the work of the Parliament will not be obstructed. The CAPO, headed by the Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, has been established for those purposes.
- The powers under the ISA include prohibiting entry to certain areas or roads, and prohibiting the carrying of weapons outside one’s residence. Such measures are to be used only to the extent necessary, will only apply in the three districts, and will respect the people’s right to peaceful assembly and the rights of other individuals.
- On the whole, the general public should be able to carry on with their daily activities and business as usual.
- It must be stressed that the Government will ensure that all measures undertaken with respect to the demonstrations are in accordance with the rule of law, international standards as well as its obligations under international law.
- When the situation is restored to normalcy, the Government will consider ending the use of the ISA.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th