Thailand to impose Internal Security Act to ensure ASEAN Summit security

02/10/2009

BANGKOK, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's government announced Friday a plan to enforce the Internal Security Act (ISA) during the forthcoming 15th ASEAN Summit and related meetings.

On Friday morning, the government led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and involved security authorities held a meeting to discuss about security steps to be applied to ensure law and order at the 15th ASEAN Summit's venues, Thai News Agency reported.

In mid-April this year, the ASEAN Summit and related meetings in central resort town Pattaya were canceled due to violent protests by thousands of members of the Thai anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD).

Thailand, which is the 2009 chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), will also host the 15th ASEAN Summit and related meetings during Oct. 23-25 in central beach resort town Cha-am and Hua Hin.

However, the ISA law will be imposed from Oct. 12 ahead of the start of the ASEAN Summit as it will be enforced until Oct. 27,army chief General Anupong Paochinda said after the meeting.

The ISA law will be imposed in nine sub-districts of Cha-am, while four other sub-districts in Hua Hin will be also under the ISA law's imposition, General Anupong said.

A combined security force will be deployed to ensure law and order there, General Anupong said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, in charges of security affairs, said the government will not let anything to disturb the ASEAN Summit and related meetings as it happened in the past.

Also, Suthep said the government will impose the ISA law in capital Bangkok, if new rallies by the UDD protestors show a sign of chaos.

From Sept. 18 to 22, the ISA law had been enforced by the government at Dusit district in the center of capital Bangkok in a bid to ensure law and order during a mass anti-government rally by the UDD group on Sept. 19.

Hence, Suthep said the government can impose the ISA law again in Dusit.

The Thai-government plans to explain about the ISA law's enforcement at the ASEAN Summit and related meetings' venues on a state-run television on Friday.

Editor: Zhang Xiang