Martial law to be lifted in 40 provinces of Thailand

The Council for National Security (CNS) of Thailand, founded after the Sept. 19 coup, will propose for cabinet approval on Tuesday the lifting of martial law in some 40 provinces across the country.

CNS’s chairman Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin said Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont will decide whether to lift the law in Bangkok or not. “If something happens in Bangkok, the prime minister will be responsible for handling it. So I will leave him to decide whether Bangkok should be remained under the law or not,” Sonthi was quoted by local media on Monday as saying.

“Parts of the far south and the north and northeast, particularly the border provinces, would remain under martial law. CNS will forward the decision to the Cabinet for approval,” Sonthi said.

The cabinet will meet Tuesday to consider the proposal. Earlier, Defense Minister Gen. Boonrawd Somtas said that the law would be remained in northern Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Buri Ram and Surin where pro-Thaksin groups are still active.

Sonthi also said that in most of the northern and northeastern provinces, martial law would remain in place because there are some reports of supporting for deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Sonthi insisted that the law should remain there because of what he described as anti-coup “undercurrents.” While in the violence-plagued south,

Sonthi said he wanted to keep the martial law in deep southern provinces where suspected militants have intensified their attacks on people

Sphere: Related Content

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!