Royal Thai Embassy 
On 24 April 2010, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Army Commander-in-Chief General Anupong Paochinda, in his capacity as Chief Official responsible for dealing with the emergency situation pursuant to the invocation of the Emergency Decree, gave an interview, which was aired on 25 April, to clarify certain issues which may not be accurately understood among the public.
Regarding the organisational structure during the emergency situation, Prime Minister Abhisit said that while the Government continues to work as normal to address various problems facing the Thai public, there must be specific mechanisms to deal with the issues involved in the present emergency situation. On the political side, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban has been assigned to supervise the overall operation, with the Prime Minister himself continuing to monitor and oversee the situation. At the same time, under the Emergency Decree, a Chief Official must be appointed to be in charge of commanding various agencies at the working level to resolve the emergency situation. This latter task has been transferred from the Deputy Prime Minister to the Army Commander-in-Chief after the nature of the political demonstrations has changed to involve terrorist-like behaviours, which require streamlining of the line of command to ensure more effective operations.
Asked to assess the current situation, Prime Minister Abhisit noted that in recent days, the situation and connection among different groups ? who earlier seemed to work separately ? have become clearer. The opposition party has now joined with the demonstrators, while ? based on the two incidents on 10 and 22 April ? it is clear that those using weapons are present among the demonstrators. He observed that while the public seem to believe ? based on news and information they receive ?that the problem is with the demonstrations at Ratchaprasong Intersection, and hence look forward to resolution of the problem there, the Government?s objective is not only to return normalcy to that particular area but to Thai society as a whole. In this regard, measures under the Emergency Decree remain necessary. Check points have to continue to operate, with dissemination of facts and prevention of any distribution of distorted or incisive messages. In addition, noting that the moves made by various personalities ? be they from opposition parties or protest leaders to get space on local or foreign media or appeal to the masses in other provinces or diplomatic corps ? are not co-incidental, the Prime Minister stressed that the resolution of the problem could not only focus on the demonstrators but must also be done comprehensively.
Asked to comment on the incidents on 10 and 22 April, Prime Minister Abhisit reiterating his regret for the losses that occurred. He admitted that the authorities did not anticipate that any armed group would be ready to use weapons to harm demonstrators and officers on 10 April or hurt innocent people at Silom on 22 April. On his part, the Army Commander-in-Chief added that on 10 April, it was unthinkable at the outset that the conflict based on differences of views would involve the use of weapons against security officers who were not allowed to use weapons, and he believed that the public already knew what had transpired from the media. Then, on 22 April, despite the officers stationed there to prevent escalation between the two groups of people, war weapons were used again on 22 April, this time against the people. In this regard, General Anupong affirmed that security measures would be improved and further strengthened.
Asked about further action that the authorities would take, the Army Commander-in-Chief stated that whatever means that would help resolve the problem and bring peace back to society would be done in accordance with the policy framework set by the Government. In this regard, whether to disperse the demonstrations or not is not the real issue, and the question about what action to be taken when would depend upon the assessment of the situation.
The focus now, according to General Anupong, is to correct the misunderstanding that people in the Ratchaprasong area as well as those in other provinces have regarding the actual situation and the position of the Government. If innocent demonstrators could be separated from the protest sites, then the authorities would be better able to enforce the law, such as arresting those concerned. General Anupong also stressed that the authorities have to enforce the law and that it remains their intention not to harm the people or use violence. Security measures, nevertheless, have to be strengthened given the escalation of the situation.
Prime Minister Abhisit added that the rulings of the Administrative Court and the Civil Court should serve as guidelines. The Courts do not prohibit dispersal of the demonstrations; neither do they say that the Government could disperse athe demonstrations at will. Rather, the Courts state that any measure to be taken must be as necessary and appropriate to the situation and in accordance with international standards. There are various groups of people among the demonstrators, the Prime Minister noted. Some are subject to arrest warrants, some use violence, while others are innocent people. By law, they cannot be treated in the same manner. He also emphasized that while dealing with people who break the law, the Government must act in accordance with the law.
The Prime Minister reiterated that the Government?s objective is broader than returning the Ratchaprasong area to normalcy but is to maintain the rule of law and protect the country?s principal institution from being drawn into the political conflict. He assured the public that all agencies concerned work in unison and share common understanding on how to resolve political and security problems.
Asked about the identity of the armed groups and the weapons they use, Prime Minister Abhisit said that some of these individuals already worked openly, while the investigation and questioning of a person involved with the incident on 10 April have also made things clearer. Meanwhile, weapons seized from security officers during the incident must be brought back. General Anupong added that some of the individuals concerned are still in the military but have no forces under their command, while others are retired officers with experience and training. As for the weapons used, he affirmed that these did not come from military units, and that law must be enforced to prevent weapons coming in from other sources.
Asked about unity within the armed forces, General Anupong stated that the armed forces work to serve the country, the monarchy and the people without taking sides, and will act in accordance with the Government?s policy for the benefit of everyone. It is however possible that some individuals may think differently, but their number is not to such a degree that would cause disunity within the organisation.
Prime Minister Abhisit, on his part, stressed that security officers understand that their duties are to resolve the emergency situation and protect the country?s principal institution, which are in accordance with the Constitution, and hence are not involved in political problems.
On political issues, the Prime Minister reaffirmed that political problems must be resolved through political means. In this regard, he noted that he has never rejected any effort in this regard and underlined two key points.
First, any solution must not result in creating a political norm which allows the use of terrorist means, violence, intimidation or threats to achieve political ends. This issue, he said, is related to the future of democracy.
Second, it appears on a number of occasions that political demands made by protest leaders about dissolution of the House are not the end in themselves. There have been talks about state power, helping resolve problems of certain individuals or such terms as ?a new Thai state?.
In this regard, the Prime Minister stated that both security and political concerns must be resolved, and problems about grievances of the people addressed.
As for holding of a general election, Prime Minister Abhisit insisted that all sides should be clear first on what to do to ensure that an election would help bring peace to society, saying that the rules must be discussed and the overall atmosphere made conducive to a free and fair election. He further noted that Thailand?s problem is not only about politics; there are also economic concerns which require that the budget be dispersed on schedule. In his view, the need to ensure peace in the country should be the primary concern in determining when an election should be held. The Prime Minister observed that, regardless of the time frame that the demonstrators may set for dissolution the House, finding a political solution is not the sole prerogative of the Government and the demonstrators, and hence the views of all sides must be taken into account.
Later, on 25 April 2010, Prime Minister Abhisit during his weekly television programme also clarified his reported rejection of the Red Shirts? latest ultimatum demanding dissolution of the House of Representatives within 30 days. In this connection, he underscored his principled stance of not conceding to the group which uses threats and intimidation against the Government or the people, while stating that the Government would work incessantly with various groups to find a political solution. In his view, the issue is not how long he would remain in office, but rather how to ensure the interests of everyone in the country, leading to an election that would really help resolve the country?s problems.
The Prime Minister also assured the Thai public that their Government has been working continuously to address not only the issues involving the current political situation but also other pressing issues affecting them in general. He noted that the Cabinet has approved, among other things, remedies for those fatally affected or injured by the violent incidents pursuant to the on-going demonstrations in accordance with the established criteria. Furthermore, the recent meeting of the Economic Ministers and the Joint Committee between the Government and the Private Sector agreed to expedite measures to alleviate the economic impact, particularly due to the demonstrators? occupation of areas around Ratchaprasong Intersection. In this connection, it has been agreed that the first group to get immediate assistance would be the employees of businesses in the area, particularly daily wage earners who have lost their employment due to closure of businesses. Meanwhile, the Government would also consider proposals to be made by business owners on how to help them, such as in terms of liquidity and distribution of goods in their stocks, as well as ways to assist other affected businesses in general.
Prime Minister Abhisit noted that before the demonstrations escalated, various indicators had reflected the expansionary trends of the Thai economy. From the earlier estimate of 3.5 - 4.5 % growth rate for 2010, some international agencies had upped the forecast to 6.2 %. Given the present situation as well as recent travel advisories issued by a number of countries, however, the government agencies concerned have yet to readjust the numbers. He stated that the Government will step up implementation of the various economic measures, including providing credit guarantee for small and medium enterprises, addressing obstacles to investment, and resolving problems related to the Map Ta Phut industrial estate.
On the social side, Prime Minister Abhisit, noting that work on educational and health reforms has moved forward, said that the Government has continued to develop a welfare system through such programmes as free health care, free education and subsistence allowances for the elderly and persons with disabilities. These, he stressed, must be carried on and require uninterrupted disbursement of the budgets concerned. Importantly, on 20 April, the Cabinet agreed to introduce the land and building taxes, replacing the existing tax regime, as a tool to create fairness in terms of land distribution and usage. While the details remain to be clarified through public hearings, Prime Minister Abhisit stated that, in principle, farmers and owners of small pieces of land for residential purposes would be exempted, and that taxes collected would be distributed to the localities and used as funds for a Land Bank which would be set up to help with the distribution of land for those in need. In addition, he noted the proposals made by various groups on the need to undertake the structural reform of the country, the principle of which he agrees with, although the process of such reform may have to carry on beyond the tenure of the present Government.
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25 April 2010