March 22, 2010
BANGKOK (AFP) - Thailand will extend a tough security law, enacted ahead of mass anti-government protests, for an additional week in Bangkok and two other provinces, the deputy prime minister said Monday.
The Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows authorities to set up checkpoints, impose curfews and limit movements, had been enforced across eight provinces since March 11 and was due to expire on March 23.
"I will propose in the cabinet meeting Tuesday to extend the imposition of the ISA for another seven days until March 30... in order to better handle the situation," deputy premier Suthep Thaugsuban told reporters.
He said the law would only be extended in Bangkok and the nearby provinces of Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan, where the country's main airport is located, as the "Red Shirt" protesters enter the second week of their mass rally.
