Police ban public gatherings around Parliament during PM vote
No public gatherings will be permitted within a 50-metre radius of the Parliament Building on Samsen Road in Bangkok’s Dusit district from Wednesday until Saturday (July 12-15), the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) announced on Tuesday.
The order, signed by MPB chief Pol Lt-General Thiti Saengsawang, is aimed at maintaining peace and order at the Parliament meeting on July 13, the date which House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha has set for the election of Thailand’s 30th prime minister. The voting is scheduled to start at 9.30am.
The MPB however is allowing public gatherings at the nearby Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Government Complex, known colloquially as Kiak Kai Complex, which will remain open from 6am to midnight during the same period.
The allocated space, including one traffic lane and a footpath, is located on the playground side of the complex, covering an area of around 710 square metres.
Earlier on Tuesday Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt invited members of the public who wish to gather on Thursday to monitor the voting and give moral support to the PM candidates to come to Kiak Kai Complex, which can accommodate about 500 people.
He added that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration also allows public gatherings at the following venues throughout the city, as long as the law is followed:
1. Lan Khon Mueang Town Square, Phra Nakhon district
2. Bangkok Youth Centre (Thai - Japanese), Din Daeng
3. Public park under Ratchawipha Bridge, Chatuchak
4. Parking lot of Phra Khanong district office
5. Chalerm Phrakiat Min Buri Stadium, Minburi
6. Chalerm Phrakiat Stadium, Thung Khru
7. Monthol Phirom Park, Taling Chan
