The Thai government has imposed a 60-day state of emergency beginning Wednesday, January 22 following several bombings in the country’s capital Bangkok. The state of emergency covers Bangkok and the surrounding areas and is aimed at curbing mass protests that have gone on for months. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said that army would not be giving a leading role under the decree. Yingluck is under intense pressure from demonstrators to step down after more than two months of street protests aimed at ousting her elected government and installing an unelected “people’s council”. It was not immediately clear how the government would implement the emergency decree, which enables authorities to impose a curfew, ban public gatherings of more than five people, detain suspects for 30 days without charge and censor media. The country is gearing up for special elections on February 2 but the main opposition party is boycotting the vote.
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