ACTIVISTS CONDEMN 'ABSURD' PUBLIC ASSEMBLY BILL

"Those who want to express themselves won't be able to. They will be suppressed," said Wichai Narapiboon, labour activist and manager of the Thai Labour Museum. "It's the smaller groups of protesters who will be affected."

Wichai reckoned that even if the bill was passed, many trade unionists and farmers would likely have no alternative but to break the law and protest if they were desperate - although such a law would further penalise the already marginalised group. Wichai said he thought red shirts as well as yellow shirts would continue to defy the law as long as they could muster enough protesters. "When 30,000 people come out on the street, can you deal with it besides using bullets?" he asked. "Such a law is absurd."

Wasana Lamdee, another labour activist and a former factory worker said the bill, slated to be passed by Parliament yesterday - although it did not materialise due to the lack of quorum - was unacceptable.

"It's like we're to no longer have rights [to protest]," said Wasana, adding that under the bill, the government would decide where and when people could or could not protest. Wasana said many would likely continue to oppose the law if it comes into effect.

Political activist and Kasetsart University historian Kenkij Kitirianglarp said the bill clearly limited the constitutional right to freedom of assembly and would particularly affect farmers and workers who could not muster demonstrators in tens of thousands. He added however that groups like the Assembly of the Poor had failed to oppose the bill vigorously and visibly.

"This bill is not to facilitate protesters but to curb their rights," he said, claiming that details in the bill -such as the banning of protest near government buildings - made no sense because protesters would naturally want to make their grievances heard. Red shirts, Kenkij observed, felt they could always call out enough protesters to flood the streets.