Protests against amnesty bill continued, security tightened at provincial areas

SOUTHERN REGION, THAILAND (TNA) - Thai police have tightened security at provincial government offices, as protesters, like those in Bangkok, are rallying against the government-sponsored amnesty bill. Security measures have been especially tightened in the Thai South, a strong fortification of the main opposition Democrat Party. In the southern Trang Province alone, over 400 police officers, along with more than 100 defence volunteers, have cordoned the provincial governor’s office and other government offices, as protesters have planned to hold a rally in front of the nearby old governor’s office. In nearby Songkhla Province, demonstrators have set up a stage beside the provincial governor’s office for their mass rally, prompting local police forces to have sealed off one traffic lane, closed every gate and installed barbed wire to prevent outsiders from entering the Provincial Hall. In adjacent Krabi Province, Chamnan Srisawadi, president of the provincial tourism association, told journalists on Saturday, however, that local tourism-related businesses have not yet been affected by demonstrations against the amnesty bill, as long as the provincial airport remains open, although some international tourists have begun sending a negative signal by postponing their holidaying. The president has, therefore, urged demonstrators to respect the laws and to hold rally in a peaceful manner. Meanwhile, a personal secretary to Korn Chatikavanij, deputy leader of the Democrat Party and a Thai former finance minister, was physically-assaulted Friday night after attending a rally sponsored by the opposition party at Bangkok’s Samsen railway station. Police initially believed that the incident was resulted from a political motive. The Democrat Party has been holding the mass rally at the railway station since last Thursday, the day when the Thai House of Representatives began deliberating the draft amnesty bill, hours before approving it on early Friday morning. (TNA)