Police combine plans for yellow-shirt rally
The Royal Thai Police will adjust its operational plans to handle the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD)'s - yellow shirts' - expected rally on Wednesday against the government's reconciliation bills.
National Police spokesperson Major General Piya Uthayo said the RTP would support Metropolitan Police in controlling the PAD’s proposed rally before the House of Representatives – by peacefully helping to facilitate the traffic.
Piya said his agency instructed a deputy of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Police Major General Worasak Noppasittiporn, to take responsibility for any activities that occur at the demonstration.
“We want to inform the PAD’s protesters so they know that we will use the Korakot 52 plan [designed to control mass demonstrations],” Piya said.
He said there was no hidden agenda behind the order to move Police Major General Kamronwit Thoopkrachang, the 1st Regional Police Office’s acting commander, to the position of acting chief of the Bangkok Metropolitan Police.
“We just want to adjust our strategy and responsibility,” he said.
Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit said national police chief General Priewphan Damapong transferred Bangkok police boss LtGeneral Winai Thongsong to an inactive post at the Royal Thai Police headquarters for 30 days because Winai failed to control the PAD protesters who blocked entrances to Parliament last week.
“There were only thousands of protesters who were rallying in front of House of Representatives but police could not stop them. Maybe they [the police] were afraid of a repetition of the bloody violence on October 2008. This was why the national police chief considered moving Winai,” he said.
