Controlling politics
BusinessWeek (17 February 2010) quotes Internal Security Operations Command spokesman Major-General Ditthaporn Sasasmit, “Over the next 10 days, our intelligence shows there could be an uprising or chaos…”.
This is the same kind of “intelligence” reporting that justified the use of the Internal Security Act for particular red shirt rallies in the recent past.
It is reported that “about 20,000 security forces are being deployed nationwide, of which roughly 6,000 will be scattered around the capital, Bangkok. As of Wednesday, 168 checkpoints manned by soldiers and police will be operating around Bangkok, mainly at nighttime, with round-the-clock surveillance at key suspected targets, including court houses, government offices and residences of judges, the prime minister and other officials…”.
Ditthaporn has explained that “We will continue this operation until we can assure that the situation is back to normal…”.
The government says this is about not taking any chances. Another interpretation could be that the government is taking the opportunity to demonstrate its repressive power to a red shirt movement seen as deeply challenging and dangerous to the status quo.
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