On January 22, the caretaker government put Bangkok under a state of emergency for 60 days to quell the protests.
CMPO Director Chalerm Yubamrung warned he would use stringent measures, without prior warning, against People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) protesters who occupy government offices.
“From today, I will take stringent legal measures under the emergency decree to arrest people who block government offices or raid other people's houses. Police can arrest them immediately on seeing them do so,” Chalerm, the labour minister, was quoted as saying by Bangkok Post.
“There will be no more warnings. Tear gas won't be used, but shields and truncheons will be. In the event there are not enough police at a blockaded spot, reinforcements will be sent there.”
The PDRC has been leading protests for neatly three months in a bid to topple Yingluck. It has been demanding that she should hand over power to an unelected “People's Council” to carry out massive reforms aimed at curbing the political dominance of the Shinawatra clan.
