Thailand to stock up on riot gear, fearing fresh unrest
2010-01-05 16:17
BANGKOK, Jan 5 (AFP) - Thailand's cabinet on Tuesday approved a 7.5-million-dollar budget for the army to buy new riot equipment, in anticipation of fresh anti-government protests in the turbulent kingdom.
The money will be spent on gear including hundreds of thousands of rubber bullets as well as tear gas canisters, net launchers and body armour, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said.
Thailand has been rocked by political turmoil since then-premier Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a coup in 2006 and pro-Thaksin "Red Shirts" are planning new protests in coming weeks.
"The cabinet approved this budget in order to make security officials better prepared and better equipped," Abhisit told reporters after the first weekly cabinet meeting of the year.
A classified army document obtained by AFP said the equipment was necessary because the army predicted more protests in Bangkok and also in Thaksin's rural heartland in northeastern Thailand.
"The situation in 2010 is that there are likely to be more protests from political groups and other pressure groups," the document said.
The army would buy 3,750 shields, 3,750 batons, 5,200 tear gas grenades and 260 launchers, 5,200 hand-held tear gas canisters, 487,500 rubber bullets and 130 net launchers, it added.
Red Shirt leaders are due to meet in mid-January to decide on a schedule of fresh protests calling for British-born Abhisit to quit and hold fresh elections.
Abhisit came to power in December 2008 after a blockade of Bangkok's airports by rival, royalist "Yellow Shirts" helped to topple the previous pro-Thaksin government.
The Red Shirts struck back last year, mounting an increasingly intense street campaign that culminated in April with the disruption of a major Asian summit and riots in Bangkok that left two people dead.
Twice-elected billionaire Thaksin remains a hugely influential and divisive figure on the Thai political scene, with massive support among the poor, despite living in exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption.
MySinchew 2010.01.05