AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE– Thailand on Tuesday extended emergency rule across about one quarter of the country by three months over lingering fears of unrest, despite calls from rights groups for the sweeping powers to be lifted.

The state of emergency, imposed in April after mass opposition protests broke out in the capital, will be maintained in Bangkok and 18 other provinces — out of a total of 76 — but lifted in five others, officials said.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said there were still reports of activity by the anti-government “Red Shirts”, whose protests in Bangkok erupted into the country’s worst political violence in decades.

“The government still needs the tools to ensure peace, order and stability for a while,” he said.

The emergency law bans public gatherings of more than five people and gives security forces the right to detain suspects for 30 days without charge.

The authorities have used the powers to arrest hundreds of suspects — including most of the top leaders of the “Red Shirt” protest movement — and shut down anti-government TV channels, radio stations and websites.

Two months of mass anti-government rallies from mid-March by the Red Shirts, who were seeking immediate elections, sparked outbreaks of violence that left 90 people dead, mostly civilians, and nearly 1,900 injured.

Continue reading about Thailand’s Emergency Rule.

© AGENCE FRANCE PRESS, 2010

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