At 13:00 hrs. Mr.Tharit Pengdit, Director-General, the Department of Special Investigations, briefed the press on the outcome of the meeting of the Center For Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) earlier in the day, gist as follows:

1. The CMPO wished to express its concern for the security of general public during this political conflict period. The CMPO wished to seek joint cooperation from various sides—including pro- and anti-PDRC groups, UDD and other groups to avoid and refrain from any encounter. The CMPO urged everyone to stay home and avoid the protest.

The CMPO reiterated that the center is a special body, responsible for upholding democracy, enforcing the law during this emergency situation and maintaining peace and order for the general public. The center is not in conflict with the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), UDD or any group.

Due to the ruling of the Civil Court, which has constrained the CMPO from performing its duties under the law, the CMPO together with police, military and civilian personnel will do their utmost to discharge their responsibilities.

The CMPO wished to share the result of the phone discussion between United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister. The UN Secretary-General was of the view that the situation in Thailand has escalated and it is necessary that all parties concerned discuss and seek the best possible solutions. The Secretary-General indicated he was ready to provide assistance in any possible way, especially the sharing of experiences and lessons learnt from previous similar cases. 

2. The CMPO had managed to reopen 60 government offices. However, since the Civil Court’s ruling, PDRC protesters have blockaded government offices once against earlier this morning. PDRC protesters have trespassed on and besieged 11 government agencies.

3. The CMPO has received a report from the Metropolitan Police and Provincial Police regional commands regarding the legal proceedings against the election obstructions. So far, there are 189 cases involving election obstructions (51 cases in Bangkok and 138 cases in other provinces), 172 cases involving the failure of electoral officers to perform their duties (62 cases in Bangkok and 110 cases in other provinces). 141 persons already faced arrest warrants.

4. As Mr. Suthep Thaugsuban and core PDRC leaders have now allowed the police and military to inspect protest sites to prevent any escalating security concerns, the CMPO is now preparing a joint police-military unit to inspect the protest sites in due course.

5. According to allegations by Mr. Boonyod Sooktinthai that the CMPO has spent more than 10 billion baht during its 33 days of operations, the CMPO wished to state that the allegation is untrue. The Cabinet has just approved the operational budget for the CMPO, which will cover stipends and per diem for military and police officers on duty on an economical basis. However, the proposed budget still needed approval from the Election Commission before being disbursed.

6. Following the two attacks on the CMPO by unknown assailants using M79 rocket launchers, the CMPO condemned the acts as irresponsible and an attempt to create a situation without regard for the consequences.