(1 April) The Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army has denied reports that the military might impose martial laws to contain rival mass protests on 5 April.

Leaders of both anti-government and pro-government movements have called for mass demonstrations this Saturday as show of strength, raising fears that violent clashes might break out between the rival protesters, while a number of media reports indicate that the army may resort to martial laws to quell the unrest.

Clashes between the two rival groups in early December last year left 1 anti-government protester and 3 pro-government demonstrators dead. 

But Gen. Prayuth Chan-Ocha said there is no plan for martial laws. 

"The violence that many people are afraid of has not happened yet," Gen. Prayuth said "There is no need to speculate".

He also insisted that over 170 military checkpoints deployed around Bangkok's downtown area are necessary measures for providing public security, dismissing concerns from pro-government critics that the military has deployed the troops to intimidate the government.

Lt.Gen. Paradorn Pattanatabutr, head of the National Security Council, echoed Gen. Prayuth's sentiment, expressing his belief that no clash or violence would take place on 5 April.

He explained that it is unlikely that the two rival protest groups would encroach their opponent's territory. "I've been informed that the UDD will hold their rallies outside Bangkok, while the PCAD will mobilise their supporters at Lumpini Park, which is an area where it is easy to maintain security," Lt.Gen. Paradorn said.

The NSC director insisted that the government can contain the protests with the existing Internal Security Act, and a declaration of martial laws would be unnecessary. 

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(30 March) Polls for elected Senate seats open today amid a widely apathetic mood, with election officials admitting that they expect a low turnout.

The election will install 77 Senators – one for each province of Thailand – to the Thai upper house. The other 73 Senators are appointed in accordance with the 2007 Constitution, which abolished the fully-elected house of Senate decreed by the now-defunct 1997 Constitution.

Reports from many provinces suggest that voters are not as enthused as the Election Commission (EC) would have liked, despite the agency's spending on public relations campaigns designed to encourage the voters to go out and vote.

In Pathum Thani province, the voters are so scarce that no line formed at all at the entrance to the ballot station. Some residents, who refuse to be identified by names, told our correspondent they had no wish to vote as there are possibilities that the result might end up being invalidated by the Constitutional Court like the 2 February general election.

Some residents, from Chinese descent, said they will have to skip the ballots due to the annual Chinese tradition of grave-sweeping which requires them to travel to their ancestors' graves upcountry.

The apathy might also be due to restriction concerning the Senate election, such as bans on vote-canvassing campaigns by candidates. 

Pol.Lt.Col. Suchart Surasadcha, local EC director in Pathum Thani, said he expected the turn out rate to be as low as 40%, far lower than the EC officially expect, and certainly lower than the 70% turnout for 2 February election.  

The turnout is also low in Nakhon Si Thammarat, although an 83-year old woman arrived at the poll station in Phasa School in Mueang district to cast her ballot when the polling station opened  at 08.00, explaining that she had never missed a single election in her entire life.

Nong Khai province has similarly seen little enthusiasm, but nevertheless upcountry polling stations see more voter turnouts than in downtown areas.

EC officials said they have not received any reports of major disturbance at any of the ballot stations, a stark difference to the advance voting and election day for the lower House, which saw violent campaigns by anti-government protesters to scuttle the votes. 

The unofficial result of the Senate election is expected to be declared by 20.00 tonight.

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(28 March) Daughter of the elderly man paralysed by the pre-election violence last month has publicly called on the national human rights body to assist their family.

According to Ms. Euangfah Saelew, only one official from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has visited her 71-year old father, Mr. Arkaew Saelew, in hospital.

During that visit, Ms. Euangfah said, the official did not make any meaningful inquiry about the incident which left Mr. Arkaew in severe condition.

The incident was the gun battle on February 1^st in the Laksi district in northern Bangkok, in which armed militants allied to anti-government protesters skirmished with the outgunned pro-government demonstrators, a day before the general election. Mr. Arkaew was hit in his neck area and paralysed by the bullet.

After the official's visit, Ms. Euangfah said, no one from the NHRC ever contacted her. "It's so different to other rights agencies, who always visit us in groups," Ms. Euangfah complained.

She also contrasted the NHRC's attitude toward her father with the its enthusiasm in other cases related to anti-government protesters, such as the NHRC's recent announcement that they will investigate the claims that one of the alleged gunmen who participated in the gun battle which wounded her father had been tortured by the police.

"I feel slighted to know that the NHRC pays more attention to the perpetrators than the victims," Ms. Euangfah told our correspondent, adding that she wants the NHRC to assist her family and investigate the attack on her father in the same enthusiastic manner. 

"Please defend human dignity equally, instead of doing it for the sake of any particular side," Ms. Euangfah said.

(28 March) The police say they have arrested a member of local Redshirts group in Nonthaburi province and confiscated a number of military-grade weapons possessed by the group.

The arrest followed an explosion at the office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) on Sanambin Nam Road at around 23.30 last night. Upon inspecting the scene, police found damage to windows and walls of Building 1 inside the compound, but no injuries were reported. 

The police suspect that the explosion was caused by an M79 grenade launcher fired by perpetrators who wished to intimidate NACC officials.

Hours later, the police raided a flyover bridge at Soi Nonthaburi 46, close to the NACC headquarters, where members of a local Redshirts group called People's Radio for Democracy (PRD) had been camping. 

Upon spotting the police force, the activists promptly fled from the bridge into wooded area nearby, but the officers gave chase and managed to arrest one suspect, identified as Mr. Rattanapong Intararangsi.

Police said Mr. Rattanapong was carrying a bag which contained one AK-47 rifle, 4 fully loaded magazines, and two grenades. Mr. Rattanapong denied ownership of the weapons, claiming that an unknown individual placed the weapons with him shortly before the arrest.

When the police searched the car of another PRD activist which was parked close to the flyover bridge, the officers also found one shotgun and 38 shotgun rounds.

Furthermore, the search in the wooded area yielded one M79 grenade launcher with 6 rounds of ammunition, one handgun, three grenades, and 36 rounds of M-16 rifle. 

A high-ranking police officer said the police have been investigating the recent grenade attacks on NACC compound and searching many areas for possible weapon cache. They eventually decided to raid the PRD camp on flyover bridge after "suspicious activities" were reported, the officer added.

Mr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Deputy Prime Minister and chief adviser to the Centre for Administration of Peace and Order (CAPO), said in a press conference today that the authorities will not provide any privileges to the Redshirts suspects, and insisted that the police will investigate any crimes committed by all political sides equally without prejudice.

He refused to comment on the link between the confiscated weapons and the PRD group, stating that he is waiting further details from the police.

"But whoever commits a crime must be punished," Mr. Surapong said, "No exceptions".