Thai prime minister says emergency decree likely to be lifted in many areas this week

FILE - In this May 20, 2010 file photo, a defaced portrait of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is seen in front of the arson attack on the Thailand's biggest shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand. A state of emergency imposed during anti-government protests will likely be lifted in many parts of the country this week, Thailand's prime minister said Sunday. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu, File)

via Khmer NZ News Media

By Thanyarat Doksone (CP)

BANGKOK — A state of emergency imposed during Thailand's anti-government protests will likely be lifted or eased in many parts of the country this week, the prime minister said Sunday.

Abhisit Vejjajiva expressed hope the move would allow the nation to gradually return to normalcy.

Many human rights groups have demanded the lifting of the decree, which remains in place in Bangkok and 23 provinces more than six weeks after the protests, in which 89 people died and more than 1,400 were injured.

The government argued that the state of emergency, which suspends some civil liberties and gives the military broad powers to keep order, helped keep troublemakers from moving freely in the countryside. It said parts of Bangkok also remained at risk of attack.

The Cabinet is to meet Tuesday to decide whether to extend the decree, which expires Wednesday.

Speaking on his weekly television show, Abhisit said he was confident that the measures would be lifted or relaxed in areas where authorities "possess tools that will ensure peace."

The "Red Shirt" protesters consist of members of the urban and rural poor, democracy activists and politicians loyal to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup on corruption allegations. They occupied Bangkok's commercial centre for weeks, forcing upscale shopping malls and hotels to close. The protests ended May 19 when the army moved in, forcibly dispersing the crowds.

On June 22, an improvised bomb exploded in front of the headquarters of the Bhumjaithai, the second-largest party in Abhisit's governing coalition.

Late Saturday, Cambodian police arrested a Thai man and woman who had fled across the border on suspicion they had helped plot the bombing, Cambodia's Foreign Ministry said.