EMERGENCY RULE REJECTED

Thailand's Prime Minister yesterday rejected military proposals for the introduction of a state of emergency to control growing street protests against the military junta that appointed him.
Instead, the PM confirmed elections will be held on December 16 or 23 and said that bans were not necessary because protests so far have been peaceful.
He did indicate that if things worsened then the situation will be reviewed and his Government will act firmly. The introduction of a state of emergency, if and when it happens, is likely to include some degree of press censorship as well as protest bans.
At least we now have a date for general elections in the public domain. Right now there is a lot of uncertainty that is affecting the country in many ways, not just in the obvious foreign investment and tourism sectors. Hopefully the end of this year will see a return to some kind of normality.