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A 60-day state of emergency has been imposed in Bangkok and the surrounding provinces from tomorrow to cope with anti-government protests.
The ruling gives the government wide-ranging powers to deal with disorder.
The emergency decree gives the government power to censor the media, ban public gatherings and detain suspects without charge.
It also allows for curfews and for parts of Bangkok to be declared off-limits.
The state of emergency was announced after a cabinet meeting today, after a spate of attacks with explosives and firearms on the anti-government protesters blockading central Bangkok.
“The cabinet decided to invoke the emergency decree to take care of the situation and to enforce the law,” the BBC reported deputy prime minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul as saying.
The decree extends past the date of a planned general election next month.
It follows anti-government protesters blocking parts of the capital to try to force prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to resign.