BANGKOK, March 12 – The Center for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) has proposed lifting the two-month state of emergency and replace it with another security law.
CMPO director Chalerm Yubamrung said he has asked National Security Council (NSC) chief Lt Gen Paradorn Pattanatabut to revoke the emergency decree imposed in Bangkok and some parts of adjacent provinces to handle the anti-government demonstrations which is due to expire March 23.
Mr Chalerm reasoned that the emergency decree is minimally enforced following the Civil Court ruling restricting the CMPO, barring it from performing its duties under the law.
The Civil Court last month ruled that the government-invoked emergency decree remains valid but prohibited the use of force and weapons in any crackdown on protesters who have organised peaceful demonstrations in accordance with their rights stipulated in the Constitution.
He said that it depends on caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to decide whether the emergency decree should be replaced by the Internal Security Act (ISA) or not.
If the ISA is revoked, caretaker deputy premier Surapong Tovichakchaikul who supervises the national police bureau and caretaker justice minister Chaikasem Nitisiri will be in charge of the matter.
As the Constitution Court is set to rule on the legality of the government-sponsored bill to borrow Bt2 trillion for infrastructure development today, Mr Chalerm said the ruling will not affect the government, but instead, the development of the country.
The CMPO chief however expressed concern over the anti-graft agency’s decision on the government’s rice pledging scheme, in which he said, will affect Ms Yingluck’s premiership and bar her from performing her duty.
In this case, he said a new caretaker prime minister will be appointed but must be one with public acceptance.
Mr Chalerm said he believes that political situation will be more heated in April.
