The Thai government has decided the Emergency Decree in Bangkok and five neighboring provinces cannot be lifted, acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said on Sunday.
Panithan said the decision resulted from a meeting of the primeminister Abhisit Vejjajiva and the Cent for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES), the Thai News Agency reported.
The CRES agreed that the Decree would be lifted when the situation returns to normal, but not now because CRES considers the safety of the public and leading figures to be at risk, and is monitoring movements against the government both inside and outside Thailand, Panithan said.
The CRES is evaluating situation from information received domestically and from overseas as well as from underground movements.
Information received will be conveyed to the prime minister on a regular basis while reports on an attempt to assassinate the prime minister still persists while security measures have been stepped up for him, said Panithan.
April 12, the Thai government has declared the state of emergency in Bangkok and some districts of five nearby provinces, citing the escalating violence due to the scattered anti-government rallies.
Prior to the state of emergency's declaration on Saturday, the anti-government protesters stormed into the venue of the then ongoing ASEAN summit at beach resort Pattaya and related summits, resulting in the cancellation of all of the summits.
