To urgently remedy the situation, the Prime Minister therefore had to invoke the Emergency Decree on Government Administration in States of Emergency B.E. 2548 (2005), with the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army appointed the Competent Official responsible to remedy the situation.  While certain rights and liberties of individuals have been curtailed, this has been done only to the extent required and as provided for in such situations by the Constitution.

As noted above, the state of emergency has been declared only in Bangkok.  Within Bangkok itself, only a few districts have been affected by the incidents.  The clash that took place between anti- and pro-government demonstrators occurred in the government district during the early morning of 2 September 2008, have since subsided with the police and military in control of the situation.  In other districts of Bangkok and the rest of the Kingdom, people continue to carry out their livelihood as usual with the country’s economic and financial system functioning normally.

Thailand’s emergency decree is not unlike those that exist in other countries.  It is consistent with democratic principles and international human rights standards.  Measures to be undertaken under the decree will also be carefully calibrated to correspond to the severity of the situation.

The state of emergency is a temporary measure.  The Government will continue to exercise utmost restraint and will work with all those concerned to resolve the current political situation within the framework of the Thai Constitution and the rule of law.

Source: MFA