By THE NATION ON SUNDAY
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's official tour of Phitsanulok, Sukhothai and Phichit yesterday went smoothly with no violence or disruption, thanks to heavy security that prevented anti-government protesters from getting close to him.
Hundreds of anti-riot police and four helicopters were deployed as hundreds of red shirts gathered on the Phitsanulok-Sak Lek road in Phitsanulok's Wang Thong district.
Abhisit arrived in Phitsanulok in the morning and took a helicopter to Sukhothai before returning to Wang Thong. As soon as his helicopter touched down, about 5,000 supporters including local villagers, politicians and officials rushed out to greet him.
Anti-riot police lined up to stop the red-shirt protesters gathered on the provincial road from breaching their human barricade and reaching Abhisit. Metal barriers were used to block the road. No violence was reported.
During his inspection of the implementation of government policies such as free education and crop-price insurance, Abhisit asked villagers if they were happy with the projects aimed at helping farmers. They said they were pleased with the subsidy programme.
Abhisit also took some time in Phitsanulok to record his weekly television address.
He said the government would ensure the well-being of farmers, who make up most of the population, and would continue with the free education scheme as well as the Bt500 monthly allowance for the elderly.
He said he got good feedback from farmers in Chiang Rai's Udon Thanim on the government income-insurance scheme and would go ahead in executing the project.
Abhisit said Phitsanulok would receive up to Bt3.8 billion from the Thai Khemkhaeng stimulus scheme next year, the highest budget for lower northern provinces. The funds will be used in constructing water reservoirs, high-speed trains, parallel railways and four-lane roads throughout the province.
Lt General Surasi Sunthornsaltoon, commissioner of Provincial Police Region 6, said police had been able to prevent the hundreds of red shirts from coming close to the prime minister in Phitsanulok by keeping them at least 1 kilometre away.
No violence was reported in Sukhothai as there were only 30 protesters there.
Democrat Party MP for Phitsanulok Nakhon Machim said villagers gave Abhisit a warm welcome and the government received a great response to its policies.
Most villagers knew that Abhisit had come to help them and they did not want to see any more social divisions, he said.
"Abhisit is very hot here," he said as the PM spent half an hour posing with locals who had queued up for a chance to have their picture taken with him.
Abhisit left Phitsanulok in the afternoon for his next stop in Phichit. He was as popular there, with 3,000 supporters waiting to welcome him.
They urged him to continue in his post and not dissolve Parliament. Six hundred police threw a security blanket over him though there was no report of red-shirt protesters there.
Source: The Nation
No comments:
Post a Comment