Political Gatherings Banned During UN Chief's Visit To Thailand

BANGKOK, Oct 25 (Bernama) -- Thai army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha on Monday said no political gatherings are allowed in the Thai capital during the visit of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday but representatives can instead present a letter to the UN chief, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.

Prayuth made the remarks ahead of an official visit of Ban on Tuesday as guest of the Thai government on his way to attend the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Vietnam.

The visit was arranged following an invitation earlier extended by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva when he met with Ban while attending the official opening of an Exhibition to promote Enhancing the Lives of Female Inmates (ELFI) Project on October 6 at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The army chief said security measures have been prepared as Bangkok is still under a state of emergency.

The Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) bans all gatherings but will allow a representative of any group to hand in letters to the UN chief if they wish, said Prayuth.

The army chief added that police will be main force to provide security for Ban and his visit venues, while the army will be on standby to help the police. Rapid respond mobile units have been prepared if any untoward incident occurs, but initially there's no report of possible violence.

"This is the image of Thailand. Please do not demonstrate and cause any disturbance to the public," said Prayuth.

Regarding the plan of the Red Shirt to present a complaint letter to Ban on the death of the red-clad demonstrators during the army operations in May, Prayuth said they should consider whether it is appropriate to hand in such letter as this is internal affairs and the army had strictly followed the law.

At least 89 people died and nearly 1,900 were injured during two months of political unrest, with several confrontation between army personnel and Red Shirt protesters in April and May.

Ban will arrive in Bangkok Tuesday morning and will have a bilateral meeting with the prime minister at Government House, followed by a joint press conference.

Tuesday afternoon, the UN chief will meet with the UN team at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) offices on Ratchadamnern Road, and deliver a speech on the occasion of UN Day, and will leave Thailand in the evening for Cambodia before proceeding to attend the 3rd Asean-UN Summit in Hanoi.

The Secretary-General's working visit is part of a four nation-tour in Asia, visiting Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and China.