The Thai government yesterday invoked a state of emergency decree. This empowered the government to impose curfews, ban political gatherings of more than five people, declare certain areas off-limits, arrest/detain persons suspected of having a role in causing or instigating the emergency situation etc. Protest leader of the anti-government group (PDRC) said his supporters are not afraid and the rallies will continue. The armed forces remain non-committal and an intelligence source said that the military will not confront protesters. At the same time, business leaders called on the government to reconsider its decision to invoke the decree.
As of this morning, things are so far quiet. The protest rallies will continue. It remains to be seen how the government will react to the continuation of the protest rallies and what the government will do or how far they will go to enact the decree which will determine the situation in the next few days.
In the meantime, if you plan to be in Bangkok/Thailand over the next few weeks, please advise and coordinate with Khun Varunee (Cargill Bangkok Office Manager) for a situation update.
We will keep you updated on the political situation.