Army Chief:Disorder is unlikely on April 5

BANGKOK, April 1 (TNA) - Thai Army Chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha says he does not expect any disorder on April 5 when pro-government and anti-government protesters will rally. General Prayuth told journalists that Royal Thai Armed Forces chiefs have kept discussing domestic political situation, but he was unaware of reports that they would have a talk to determine their stance ahead of the April 5 rallies of the red-clad pro-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) and the anti-government People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC). According to the army chief, soldiers are duty-bound to guarantee safety for demonstrators and all groups of people, but some groups do not understand and do not want soldiers to do their duties. The Thai army chief revealed he has told the caretaker government-run Center for the Administration of Peace and Order (CAPO) that soldiers must maintain a number of their checkpoints to prevent untoward incidents for the safety of not only demonstrators, but also the general public. Asked about the possibility of exercising the martial law on April 5, the Thai army chief responded what matters is not the enforcement of a law, but the compliance with laws, urging all parties to respect the courts' ruling and independent organizations and to believe in the Thai justice system. Meanwhile, Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul, who is also the chief adviser to the CAPO, assessed that the imposition of the Internal Security Act (ISA) should prevent the confrontation of the two groups of demonstrators, insisting that the caretaker government treats both sides equally. (TNA)