On 5 February 2010, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, together with Major General Titiwat Kamlang-ek, Military Coordinating Officer to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, briefed the diplomatic corps on the current political situation in Thailand. A total of 73 participants from various diplomatic missions and international organisations, including 18 ambassadors, attended the event.
Foreign Minister Kasit briefed the diplomatic corps that over the past few weeks, there had been reports about activities by political groups, especially the “red shirts”, who planned to stage a series of protests in Bangkok and around the country in the coming weeks to undermine the Government in the lead-up to the much anticipated court ruling in a major case against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on 26 February 2010. On this matter, he reassured the diplomatic corps that the Government would do its utmost to maintain law and order and provide peace and security so that the Thai people and foreigners alike would be able to continue life as normal.
The Foreign Minister said that on 4 February 2010, the Prime Minister chaired a meeting of the National Security Council to discuss contingency plans to deal with any eventuality, and that crowd control measures of international standards would be used. Primary responsibility would rest with the police, with the military providing support. The security forces would be equipped with only riot gears without any weapons. If necessary, the Internal Security Act would be invoked, and only in an extreme situation would a state of emergency be declared. Foreign Minister Kasit gave assurances that the Government would proceed in accordance with the rule of law and only undertake measures provided for under the Constitution.
Regarding rumours spread about the possibility of a coup d’etat, the Foreign Minister and Major General Titiwat assured the diplomatic community of the close working relationship between the Government, the police and the military, and that under no circumstances would the military intervene through a coup d’etat.
In response to questions posed, the Foreign Minister explained that the current political situation is not a conflict between urban and rural people, nor does it reflect underlying social discontentment. In fact, the Government has been working hard for all Thai people and implemented various initiatives to move the country towards a welfare state rather than relying on populist policies of the past. The fact that coalition parties won over 80% of by-elections held over the past year also reflects the people’s support for the Government.
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