BANGKOK, 18 September 2013 The government has asserted it will not enforce the internal security law over the rubber farmers’ demonstration site in Nakhon Si Thammarat at this time.
According to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the disaster prevention and mitigation law being currently enforced is still adequate and the provincial governor is still able to handle the situation.
The Royal Thai Police commissioner-general has been assigned to visit the site and monitor the situation jointly with the provincial governor. The policemen at the scene have also been told to avoid conflicts with the public.
In the meantime, Commerce Minister Nattawut Saikuar is calling on the protesters in Nakhon Si Thammarat to bear in mind the effects their protest is having on the public as a whole. He also called on the MPs representing the province to foster understanding with the protestors, as the majority of rubber farmers have already expressed satisfaction with the government’s promised assistance.
