Security Forces' Operations Against Thai Red-Shirts

After the war has ended, it was time for counting the bodies and the expenses of the operations of the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES). It has been initially found that the budget for the operations has been paid through fast-track procedures. The paying has been divided into sectors and the cost included the pays for informants in the fields.

Number of Security Forces
Earlier, it has been counted that the cost of CRES' operations from 12 to 23 March was about Bt280 million or about Bt30-40 million a day. When the operations of the CRES were extended, the number of security forces was increased from 50,000 to 64,000 since 23 March.

So, the cost of operations increased. From 23 March to 30 May when the curfew was lifted, the operation cost of the CRES stood at Bt3.4 billion and this cost was only the daily allowances paid to the security forces. The disbursements were made in installments in forms of emergency and necessary funds. The disbursements were requested from the Budget Bureau under the supervision of the Finance Ministry.

The disbursements were for only paying allowances and costs of foods to field officers and officers working in offices of the agencies concerned. When the fuel cost and all other expenses were added up, the overall cost of the operations was definitely higher than Bt5 billion.

The CRES announced that a total of 50,000 troops from the Army, Navy and Air Force were dispatched for the operations. Of 50,000 troops, 33,000 were dispatched to the fields while the 17,000 others were on standby in their agencies.

The operations were carried out under the Internal Security Act from 12 to 23 March. The budget for the operations of the military forces was approved by the Budget Bureau of the Finance Ministry as requested by the military through the International Security Operations Command (ISOC). The ISOC requested the budget for the cost of operations by 50,000 troops.

Moral Support
Troops of all ranks, who were deployed to keep security, were paid Bt300 a day each for a special allowance on top of field-operation allowance for Bt120 to Bt280 each a day. Moreover, there was a cost for providing three meals a day to the troops. There was also a cost of moral support of Bt100 a day for each troop.

The troops deployed for the operations could be broken up by their branches of armed forces -- the Navy, Air Force and Army. Navy Commander in Chief Adm Khamthon Phumhiran assigned Rear Adm Rungsak Serisawat, commander of the Bangkok Naval Base, to deploy four companies of troops for the operations. One company was deployed from the Navy Military Police Regiment, two companies from the Bangkok Naval Base and another company from the Marine Corps. The security forces of the Navy were in charge of areas on the Thon Buri side, particularly the Sirirat Hospital.

Air Force Commander-in-Chief ACM Itthaphon Suphawong assigned A.M. Raphiphat Laploetbun, commander of the Air Force's Ground Security Force Corps to deploy three companies of troops to take part in the operations. Two companies were stationed in the Government House while another company was on standby. The Air Force also dispatched 100 military police to help police man security checkpoints around the protest zone.

Engaged in Clashes With Protesters
The rest of 220 companies of troops came from the 1st Army Area, 2nd Army Area and 3rd Army Area. The troops were under command of First Army Area Commander Lt Gen Khanit Saphithak. Acting national police chief Pol Gen Prathip Tanprasoet also assigned 200 companies of policemen for the operations. The cost of the allowance for police forces was Bt700 million.

Each policeman received only Bt120 per day as an allowance. The policemen would receive Bt300 special allowance only when they engaged in clashes with protesters. The Royal Thai Police shouldered the cost of foods for all police forces in the operations. The Royal Thai Police paid Bt800,000 a day for the cost of the foods.Moreover, there were also costs of Department of Special Investigations (DSI) for deploying officers to investigate cases, which happened during the enforcement of the emergency decree. And the Cabinet allocated an additional budget of Bt10 million for the DSI for the purpose.

Malaysia Strengthens Prime Security Points To Ward Off Terrorism

The police confirmed that there were ten internationally wanted criminals involved in terrorist activities sneaked into Malaysia. After these terrorist suspects were arrested and later on sent for deportation, the Government's security units have now identified certain "high security risk areas."

These high security risk areas have included some important infrastructure and big foreign investment plants. Thorough the security provided by the security units, these high risk security areas have now been upgraded as "prime security zone" to ensure against damage and destruction by terrorists.

Class One Protection Sites

It is learned that, in addition to the Petronas Twin Towers and the KLCC (Kuala Lumpur City Center) Mall that have already been listed in the Gazette as top security protection area, other "prime security areas" have also included large scale basic infrastructure, water supply and catchment areas, military zones, main transportation hubs and major foreign investment factories.

The Malaysian security units will ensure that these prime security areas are well protected by the Government by giving these sites more stringent controls and regular security checks. When Ministry of Home Affairs Secretary General Datuk Seri Mahmood Adam accepted Nanyang Siang Pau's query on this area of development, he said that after the police arrested ten wanted international criminals involved in terrorist activities, the Government felt that there was a need for Malaysia to strengthen security prevention work.

Identification of High Security Risk Areas
He said it was necessary for the Government to identify the domestic "high security risk areas" and then classify them as "prime security zones" just in case these sites were under terrorist attacks. These are all important areas, security at these sites and zones must be strengthened!

Datuk Seri Mahmood Adam said that during the first phase of the implementation of "high-risk security sites," the Ministry of Home Affairs worked with the Selangor, Penang, Kedah and Kelantan state security authorities. They held a meeting on 24 March to identify the "high risk areas" and classify them as "prime security zones." He revealed that in the coming days, the Ministry of Home Affairs will also meet with other relevant security authorities in other states in the identification of "high risk areas" in these states and to focus them as prime security sites or zone as well.

Large Scale Foreign Investment Factories
Datuk Seri Mahmood Adam said: "Security Measure in prime security zones would be upgraded in term of security measure. People going in and out in these areas or sites will subject to stringent security check. Visitors and workers going in and out of these areas will need to bring with them specific identification cards. They will also be subject to strict inspection.

Mahmood Adam said that the Home Affairs Ministry has so far only identified the prime security areas in the state of Selangor and Penang. The Home Affairs Ministry would also look into other states' prime security sites. He added that certain large scale foreign investment plants would also be listed as prime security zones or areas. This was because these foreign investment plants would help the police to make advanced walkie-talkie communication systems.

Some of the walkie-talkie radio used by the police can allow the intended elements to hear the police's conversations. When the police use advanced walkie-talkie radio to communicate, they will not hear what the police's conversation. Mahmood Adam disclosed that Minister of Home Affairs Hishammuddin would announce more information about the "prime security areas" on 2 April.

Connection With international Terrorist Organizations
In addition, in response to the question raised about the 10 wanted international criminals involved in terrorist activities, Datuk Seri Mohmood Adam said out of 10 terrorist suspects arrested by the police, one of them was a Malaysian.

In January 2010, Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin confirmed that the police have used the Internal Security Act to arrest the ten international criminals involved in terrorist activities. Among them, only one was a Malaysian. The Home Affairs Minister said all these people have connection with international terrorist organizations.

Home Affairs Secretary General Mahmood Adam said that at present Malaysia has been working very closely with global counterterrorism organizations and to follow up with international anti-terrorist organizations' effort to arrest the wanted global terrorists if they came to Malaysia. He stressed that any people with ties with international terrorist organizations could pose serious security threat to Malaysia.

Why State of Emergency Declared in Bangkok, Nearby Provinces?

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on 7 April evening declared a state of emergency under the executive degree for administration in emergency situations in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, and some districts of Samut Prakan, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom and Ayutthaya. The state of emergency took effect immediately after it was announced.

Abhisit announced the move in a live nationwide television broadcast from the Centre for Administration of Peace and Order (CAPO) at the 11th Infantry Regiment in the presence of the cabinet members.

Invoking Internal Security Act
The decision was reached at a special cabinet meeting this afternoon after a number of the red shirts of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) broke into the parliamentary compound, forcing cabinet members, including himself, and MPs attending a House meeting to flee for safety.

According to the prime minister, the government had tried to control the situation by invoking the Internal Security Act in Bangkok and nearby provinces, but to no avail as the red-shirts had continued to step up their activities and resorted to violence in violation of the law and the constitution. Their activities had greatly affected people's lives and their work, as well as the national economy and Thailand's image in the eyes of the international community.

Solving Emergency Situation
A centre for solving the emergency situation had been set up, with Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who is in charge of security affairs, as director. The centre is empowered to take action under the emergency law and enforce various orders issued under the law. Other members of the centre include the defense minister, the permanent secretary for defense and the commanders of all the armed forces and the Royal Thai Police Office.

The main objectives in imposing the state of emergency were to return the situation to normal as soon as possible, to stop any attempt to disseminate false information in a way to incite division, to more effectively take legal action against the protest leaders, and to enable other measures to be taken more effectively.

Role of Armed Forces
According to the prime minister, the government, in declaring the state of emergency, does not aim to crack down on innocent people, but wants to maintain the sanctity of the law. The prime minister promised that all measures to be taken would be in line with international standards of practice.

The emergency decree allows the armed forces to detain suspects for an initial period of 30 days in informal places of detention without a court order or immediate access to legal counsel, family members or independent monitoring. It also allows for the declaration of curfews in selected areas and bans on public gatherings of more than five people, prohibits news reports deemed to threaten public order and allows the government to use soldiers to quell unrest.

Opposition's Reaction
In response, the UDD called on all of their red-shirted supporters to get together on Friday and try to topple the Democrat-led government.

UDD leader Natthawut Saikua declared that the protesters will not leave their rally sites at Bangkok's Phan Fa bridge and Ratchaprasong intersection.

He said: 'I ask all red-shirted supporters in the city and nearby provinces to join forces at Phan Fa and Ratchaprasong. We will fight against the guns with our bare hands. The red-shirts in other provinces can converge on their respective city halls. More red-shirted supporters had gradually traveled to Phan Fa and Ratchaprasong while the group had increased the number guards and raised the security level.'

Red-Shirted Leaders, Thai Government Truce Talks Collapse

United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) co-leader and opposition Puea Thai Party MP Jatuporn Prompan said on 30 March that the truce talks between the government and the red-shirted UDD were over because the two sides had totally different standpoints. Jatuporn said that there would be no more negotiations and the red-shirted leaders would not hold talks with the government behind people's back. The two sides just cannot end their differences.

During talks late 29 March, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva offered the UDD a compromise, saying he was willing to call a general election by the end of the year, one-year ahead of schedule.
Jatuporn said: "We want the government to dissolve the House in 15 days, but the government said it needs nine months. The government and the UDD are like water and oil. We just cannot get along together."

Revocation of Internal Security Act
The government also cannot ask for further talks in exchange for the revocation of the Internal Security Act. The red-shirted rally will now be intensified, from pressuring the government for dissolution to expelling the government, but we will continue to protest peacefully.

However, if the government would consider dissolving the House in three months, the UDD leaders would discuss it and ask for the people's views on the same. Abhisit has expressed regret at the collapse of the talks.

It is a pity that protest leaders have swiftly rejected the government's offer and signaled the immediate end of talks. Despite this, the government is still open for negotiations. Deputy Interior Minister Boonjong Wongtrairat said that the cabinet on 30 March agreed to extend the use of the Internal Security Act (ISA) in Bangkok and two adjoining provinces for another week.

Tough Time Ahead
The security law, invoked in Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan to ensure peace and order during the antigovernment rally, had been due to end on 30 March. The cabinet has approved a plan to impose the ISA in Petchaburi's Cha-am district and Prachuap Khiri Khan's Hua Hin district during the Mekong River Summit, Deputy Education Minister Chaiwut Bannawat.

The Mekong River Commission will meet from 2 to 5 April in Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan. The invocation of the security law is to ensure security for foreign leaders attending the meeting.

Seven Groups Suspected of Involvement in Recent M79 Attacks in Thailand

Since the Thai politics entered a period of vacuum four or five years ago, there were several protests, first by the "Yellow Shirts" People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and now by the "Red-Shirted" United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD). Political moves on Ratchadamnoen Avenue have always been under the watchful eyes of security agencies. And one worrying conclusion was agreed: Many groups of people are trying to create violence in order to effect political changes.

Waging Political War
The M79 grenade launcher has become the major weapon of choice in waging this "political war." The people on the streets have heard about this weapon for a long time. But they appear to hear about it more frequently after an attack on the Daily News' office, then other attacks on the Yellow-Shirted protesters gathering to drive out "nominee governments" at the Makkhawan Rangsan Bridge and later at Government House.

When the political power was shifted from Thaksin Shinawatra's group into the hands of the Democrat Party and the young Aphisit Wetchachiwa, there were protests by Red-Shirted. That was followed by M79-related incidents at a record number never been seen before.

Even the military became a target of attacks, including the Army chief's office and the Defense Ministry. Other targets included the Public Health Ministry and the attack took place shortly after the Cabinet completed its meeting there on 23 March. The attacks took place even at a time when Bangkok is still under the Internal Security Act.

Creating Confusion
The incidents have come under watchful eyes of intelligence and security agencies which are silently working on the cases. Information involving the groups suspected of being behind the M79 attacks is being collected. There are two main groups: those who want to pass the blame on the opposite side and those who want to create confusion in the country.

The security agencies are particularly interested in seven groups of people which also have subgroups within them.

Groups Involved
The first group is led by "Sia Piak," a former hard-line taxi driver who is close to "the old power clique." He has a good knowledge about traffic routes in Bangkok. His team is small and consists of amateurs but they are daring. Investigators are convinced this group was responsible for some incidents in which the M79 was fired and grenades were thrown. This group is connected to Sawai Yangsanthia, a 42-year-old man suspected of involvement with the grenade-throwing attack on the Bangkok Bank's Silom branch on 27 February. One "gentleman's agreement" among the group's members is that they will never implicate others when arrested.

The second group is led by "Se K," a high-ranking soldier who is a close aide to a senior politician and ex-general. He even wins the respect of the "famous Se". Security sources suspect that "Se K" had tried repeatedly to incite a coup. And when the "big boss" made his political moves, violent attacks often took place. ("Se," which is short for "senathikan", refers to military officers who pass the Command and General Staff College.)

The third group belongs to the "famous Se." On many occasions, his warnings that initially appeared to be nonsense turned out to become true. Many members of this group have come under the attention of intelligence and security agencies, such as "Sergeant M," the group leader's trusted aide who often is seen going places with him. The man was charged with murder and it was found that he provided weapons for other group members to carry out attacks.

Other group members include "Sergeant R," who is the chief bodyguard and another trusted aide to the group leader, followers Daeng, Nat, Sut and Rin. There are also "Wan," who is believed by investigators to hurt a lawyer of former police chief General Seriphisut Temiyawet while going to a court, and "Sek," who is believed to be responsible for many M79 attacks. Moreover, there are many other people who agree to join the group but make their moves independently.

The fourth group is led by a "famous general." Recent reports say he has been at odds with the old power clique and his role has been shunted aside. But behind the scenes, he is still making his moves secretly, albeit not as actively as before.

The fifth is a group of hardliners led by a violence-prone former singer. This group has now got special attention from the intelligence and security agencies since they created disturbances last year. They have been suspiciously inactive over the last few days, which led to suspicion among intelligence officials that they are preparing for something.

The sixth group is led by an MP in the Northeast. It has many members but most of them are grassroots people. Although they are not viewed as posing a severe threat, the group remains under a watchful eye of the authorities.

The seventh group is loyal to the former leader. They are active in northeastern provinces and are viewed as hardliners. This group made it clear they are against the Aphisit government and they are now under a close watch by the authorities. Many of their threats of violent incidents turned out to become true.

All of the groups are now politically active. The intelligence and security authorities are merely monitoring their activities and gathering information. There has been no sufficient evidence to positively link them to any of the recent attacks.

Red-Shirt Massive Rally May Lead to Civil War

The red-shirt people have not changed their plan to hold a massive rally on 14 March. The red-shirt movement has not changed the plan although it has been attacked so severely that it had to be on defensive.

The red-shirt movement has been attacked with reports released by the government leaders. The reports prompted the society to fear possible violence that may break out because of the rally. But what happened could not become obstacles to prevent the red-shirt movement from holding the massive demonstration. In particular, the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) will go ahead with its plan to hold the rally.

Planned Rally
The information warfare by the government might become successful up to a point because the government managed to prompt the middleclass and Bangkok residents to fear or have concern about the planned rally by the red-shirt people. The information warfare became successful because Bangkokians are normally sensitive and would not tolerate any demonstration that would cause trouble and turmoil.

This is because the past demonstrations by either the yellow-shirt and red-shirt movements against the government often caused some Bangkok residents to become fed up. The Bangkokians could not accept the fact that these protesters caused traffic congestions and caused misery to their daily life. Most of all, the demonstrations affected the image and economy of the country.

Opportunity for Government
As a result, if the red-shirt movement provides more opportunity for the government to create more legitimacy and to win support from more middleclass people, the red-shirt people will stand to lose much further. The movement will further lose ground if it remains on defensive.

The weakest point of the red-shirt people is that they could not win support form the middleclass people for their campaign to topple the government like what the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) could do in the past. The red-shirt movement could not win support from middleclass in Bangkok although some Bangkokians became infuriated when the PAD-led protesters besieged the Government House to try to topple the nominee government of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

But it was undeniable that many Bangkokians have declared themselves as yellow-shirt people by joining the protests against cabinet members of then Prime Minister Samak Sunthorawet and Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat. This fact was also reflected when a vendor on Soi Lalaisap off Silom Road shouted at then prime minister Thaksin. The incident became the talk of the town.

Major Disadvantage
Although the red-shirt movement is on disadvantage because it does not have as many supporters among the middleclass as what the PAD has, the red-shirt movement also has a strong point. We must not forget that the red-shirt movement's strong point is its strong support among the grassroots people in northern and northeastern provinces as well as provinces around Bangkok. These grassroots people can move in to join the UDD protesters in Bangkok once their leaders blow the whistle.

The strategy that allows the red-shirt movement to have the biggest advantage over the opponents is the strategy of "besieging the capital with wilderness". That is, they will mobilize provincial people to Bangkok to join the protests against the government. This game may give the red-shirt movement an advantage, prompting the government to be unable to handle the situation as planned.

In particular, the announcement to move its protesters to Bangkok by road and water apparently caused the government to be worried a lot. The security situation monitoring committee failed to reach a decision during a meeting on 4 March as to whether to enforce the Internal Security Act to control the situation during the mass rally on 14 March. Despite the indecision, what happened indicated that the security agencies became very nervous.

Tough Task for Government
What the government and security agencies should do with extreme caution is to assess the situation to find out what could be an incident that would trigger violence or increase the political temperature, which could allow the red-shirt movement to become successful.

The government should monitor the networks of politicians and their canvassers in all levels in all provinces as the MPs and canvassers will coordinate will UDD leaders to mobilize the people. The monitoring should be done through state mechanisms and underground tactics. The government should do this because if the UDD leaders go ahead with the plan of using provincial people to besiege the capital to try to topple the government and the elitist polity, a civil war could happen.