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Authorities in Thailand are “very seriously” considering a state of emergency after a weekend of violence in Bangkok.
The claim came from a security chief in the Thai capital where protesters have been trying for more than two months to bring down the government.
Although the size of the demonstrations has declined, protesters have managed to shut down some government offices, forcing prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to shift her workplace and disrupt Bangkok’s traffic.
National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattantabutr told Reuters after a meeting with Yingluck: “We’re prepared to use the emergency decree … Everyone involved including the police, the military and the government is considering this option very seriously but has not yet come to an agreement.
“The protesters have said they will close various government offices. So far their closures have been symbolic, they go to government offices and then they leave.
“But if their tactics change and they close banks or government offices permanently then the chance for unrest increases and we will have to invoke this law,” he said.
The emergency decree gives security bodies broad powers to impose curfews, detain suspects without charge, censor media, ban political gatherings of more than five people and declare parts of the country off limits.
One man was killed and dozens of people were wounded, some seriously, when grenades were thrown at anti-government protesters in the city centre on Friday and Sunday.