CMPO to appeal Civil Court ruling next week

BANGKOK, February 22 (TNA) - The caretaker government-run Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) will, next Monday, submit an appeal against the Civil Court’s February 19 ruling, which prohibits the CMPO from implementing measures against anti-government protesters, namely dispersing them. Lieutenant General Paradorn Pattanatabutr, Secretary-General of the National Security Council (NSC), told journalists of the update on Saturday, saying the CMPO is now collecting documents and pictures showing that protesters of the anti-government People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) intruded several offices, mostly state-run firms, which is illegal. Lieutenant General Paradorn acknowledged that the CMPO will then forward the documents and pictures to the public prosecutor as evidence in its appealing to the Civil Court's ruling. The Civil Court's ruling last Wednesday included nine orders prohibiting the CMPO from exercising the executive decree to break up protesters and to prevent PDRC protesters from blocking a new round of election or from seizing government offices. Regarding PDRC secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban's announcement that protesters would follow and capture Caretaker Prime Minister and Defence Minister Yingluck Shinawatra wherever she goes, the NSC chief acknowledged that the CMPO has adopted maximum measures to protect the caretaker prime minister and she is believed to continue working at several government establishments normally. Asked why concerned authorities have remained unable to arrest the PDRC chief, the NSC secretary-general explained that the authorities fear any untimely arrest could lead to severe violence, as they have learned that more than 200 armed guards are providing protection to the PDRC secretary-general, who is a former Thai deputy prime minister of the Democrat Party. PDRC protesters have held rallies in the capital since last October 31, demanding Yingluck to step down from her caretaker positions without any condition. In another development, farmers from several provinces have arrived in Bangkok and joined their colleagues in the ongoing demonstration in front of the Commerce Ministry headquarters on the outskirts of the capital, demanding for overdue payments from their rice sold to the government's rice-pledging programme. Protesting farmer leaders are reportedly discussing on changing strategies, aimed to escalate their pressure on the caretaker government to leave the caretaking administration, after their demand, for many times, to meet the caretaker government has failed. It was, thus, expected that more farmers from upcountry would join the protest in Bangkok in the coming days.(TNA)