Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday lifted a state of emergency imposed in Bangkok after violent protests, but said troops would remain deployed amid opposition plans to take to the streets again.
Abhisit said he had ended 12 days of emergency rule to show the world that the troubled kingdom was stable and to foster reconciliation with supporters of ousted former leader Thaksin Shinawatra.
“We will send a signal to the international community that normalcy has been restored,” Abhisit said at his offices in Bangkok's Government House, which were at the epicenter of the protests by the pro-Thaksin “Red Shirts.”
He declared an emergency in the capital and five surrounding provinces on April 12, a day after demonstrators forced the cancelation of a summit of Asian leaders in the coastal city of Pattaya.
Two people were killed and 123 injured as protesters fought running battles with troops across Bangkok for two days, before finally dispersing on April 14 in the face of a threatened military crackdown.
Tensions also rose a week ago after an assassination attempt in Bangkok on the founder of the anti-Thaksin “Yellow Shirts” movement, Sondhi Limthongkul, who led a crippling blockade of the capital's airports last year.
Abhisit said he was confident that the international community would accept that it was “crucial to maintain troops” in areas where there was still public concern and where police were overstretched.
Thailand's image as a “Land of Smiles” for tourists has taken a major hit from the recent disturbances, with flag carrier Thai Airways reportedly suffering a 20 percent drop in bookings since the emergency was imposed.
The Red Shirts announced soon after the emergency was lifted that they would stage a rally today at a central Bangkok park, instead of at a venue they had initially planned outside the capital.
“I hope some 5,000 people will rally with us. We will disperse at 11pm and have no plan to move to anywhere,” organizer Somyot Pruksakasemsuk said.
The largest rally by the group attracted 100,000 people early this month.
“The main reason that we switched the rally to Bangkok was because the government has already lifted emergency rule,” he said.
The group said it would demand the release of Red Shirt leaders held under emergency laws and the reopening of its radio station, but unlike earlier Bangkok rallies there would be no phone-in from Thaksin himself.
The Taipei MRT is open all night tonight following New Year’s Eve festivities, and is offering free rides from nearby Green Line stations. Taipei’s 2025 New Year’s Eve celebrations kick off at Taipei City Hall Square tonight, with performances from the boy band Energy, the South Korean girl group Apink, and singers Gigi Leung (梁詠琪) and Faith Yang (楊乃文). Taipei 101’s annual New Year’s firework display follows at midnight, themed around Taiwan’s Premier12 baseball championship. Estimates say there will be about 200,000 people in attendance, which is more than usual as this year’s celebrations overlap with A-mei’s (張惠妹) concert at Taipei Dome. There are
NEW YEAR’S ADDRESS: ‘No matter what threats and challenges Taiwan faces, democracy is the only path,’ William Lai said, urging progress ‘without looking back’ President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday urged parties across the political divide to democratically resolve conflicts that have plagued domestic politics within Taiwan’s constitutional system. In his first New Year’s Day address since becoming president on May 20 last year, Lai touched on several issues, including economic and security challenges, but a key emphasis was on the partisan wrangling that has characterized his first seven months in office. Taiwan has transformed from authoritarianism into today’s democracy and that democracy is the future, Lai said. “No matter what threats and challenges Taiwan faces, democracy is the only path for Taiwan,” he said. “The only choice
CORRUPTION: Twelve other people were convicted on charges related to giving illegal benefits, forgery and money laundering, with sentences ranging from one to five years The Yilan District Court yesterday found Yilan County Commissioner Lin Zi-miao (林姿妙) guilty of corruption, sentencing her to 12 years and six months in prison. The Yilan District Prosecutors’ Office in 2022 indicted 10 government officials and five private individuals, including Lin, her daughter and a landowner. Lin was accused of giving illegal favors estimated to be worth NT$2.4 million (US$73,213) in exchange for using a property to conduct activities linked to the 2020 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential and legislative election campaigns. Those favors included exempting some property and construction firms from land taxes and building code contraventions that would have required
TECH CORRIDOR: Technology centers and science parks in the south would be linked, bolstering the AI, semiconductor, biotech, drone, space and smart agriculture industries The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a “Southern Silicon Valley” project to promote the development of an artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor industry in Chiayi County, Tainan, Pingtung County and Kaohsiung. The plan would build an integrated “S-shaped semiconductor industry corridor” that links technology centers and science parks in the south, Executive Yuan spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said yesterday after a Cabinet meeting. The project would bolster the AI, semiconductor, biotech, drone, space and smart agriculture industries, she said. The proposed tech corridor would be supported by government efforts to furnish computing power, workforce, supply chains and policy measures that encourage application and integration
RSS