Thai security agencies keep close watch on situation: Deputy PM

Though the overall situation is now under control, security agencies will be repeatedly instructed to keep a close watch on the overall situation, Thailand 's Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said Friday, the Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.

The government is not careless as concerned agencies will be repeatedly instructed to inspect the situation to prevent (any violence from occurring), he said.

Former National Security Council (NSC) chief Squadron Leader Prasong Sunsiri has warned of possible severe violence movement, including bomb blast and assassination, Suthep said.

The National Security Council under supervision of Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon of has been comprehensively working on intelligence preparation, Suthep said.

"The intelligence collection plan has been improving," the deputy premier in charge of security affairs said.

Regarding the emergency rule, whether it will be further lifted or not, will depend on the situation in each area, Suthep said.

By this time concerned security authorities have not planned to maintain its enforcement until the year-end, Suthep said.

In a related development, the Bangkok Post's website reported on Thursday that the situation in the Chiang Mai province in North Thailand has remained quiet after the lifting of the state of emergency on Monday.

"Everything is under control," Chiang Mai provincial secretary Surachai Jongrak said on Wednesday.

Surachai was optimistic that the new atmosphere would help boost Chiang Mai's depressed tourism industry.

The emergency rule is currently still in force in Bangkok, the central Nonthaburi, Pathumthani, Samut Prakan, province, and the northeastern Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, and Nakhon Ratchasima province.

The emergency rule had been first imposed in Bangkok and some nearby areas since April 7, 2010, empowering police and army to control the then mass anti-government protests.

Shortly after that the decree was expanded to cover other parts of the country and eventually the emergency rule had been imposed in totally 24 provinces of Thailand's 76 provinces, including capital Bangkok.

Later the Thai government gradually lifted the emergency rule in these provinces depending on the situation in each province.

The death toll from a series of violent clashes between the anti-government "red-shirt" protestors and troops during March 12 to May 19 in central Bangkok stood at 88 and some 1,885 others were wounded.

Source: Xinhua