BANGKOK, Nov 20 – Pro-government Red Shirt activists have vowed to stay away from the anti-government rally by the conservative Pitak Siam group at the Royal Plaza on Saturday.
The announcement has apparently pacified order-keeping authorities but their relief was not for long.
The new challenge: How to differentiate bogus Red Shirters from genuine ones?
National Security Council (NSC) secretary general Paradorn Pattanathabutr today quoted an intelligence report saying that more than 4,000 red coloured shirts have been circulated in the market and that the authorities suspect some ‘third party’ instigators will disguise themselves as Red Shirt activists and mingle with non-Red Shirt demonstrators at the Royal Plaza on Saturday.
“We have yet to determine if the move is politically motivated. We cannot arrest them as it is not illegal to buy and sell red shirts,” he said.
Lt-Gen Paradorn would not conceal his jittery feeling on the possible infiltration by a “third party” in the mass rally, saying stringent security measures have been mapped out at the rally location while Pitak Siam leaders have been told to be on vigilant for the demonstrators’ safety.
Red Shirt activists will hold separate rallies to counter the anti-government activity but they will not get near the demonstration site at the Royal Plaza, the NSC secretary general said.
Deputy Interior Minister Pracha Prasopdee said provincial demonstrators will not be barred from joining the rally in the capital but provincial governors have been instructed to discourage people in their provinces from travelling to Bangkok for the political activity.
He claimed that there have been offers at Bt1,000-2,000 each to rural people to join the mass rally on Saturday.
