About 300 police will be on standby at their command centres, to await orders on Sunday, ahead of another mass protest at the Democracy Monument, planned by anti-establishment groups.
Representatives of Thailand’s security agencies, including the National Security Council, Special Branch Police, the National Intelligence Agency and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, met today to make preparations to cope with the protest.
Pol Col Watcharee Thammasena, Superintendent of the Special Branch’s 4th subdivision, who is in charge of security at Government House, said that authorities have been closely monitoring the movements of the protesters, to try to figure out their ultimate destination, after first gathering at the Democracy Monument.
He said, however, that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had not issued any instructions on how the police should handle the protest.
Prominent protest leaders Anont Nampa, Parit Chivarak and Ms. Panasaya Sitthijirawattanakul, who were recently released after being held on remand, are expected to lead the protest.
The protesters are demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister, as a pre-condition to ending their protests.
Meanwhile, a group of Government supporters, led by Dr. Pongsak Tangkhana, showed up at the Government Complaints Centre to offer moral support to the embattled Prime Minister, the Cabinet and related officials.
