Thailand to lift state of emergency amid protests

(Vatican Radio) Thailand's government is set to lift a state of emergency in Bangkok and surrounding provinces two months after imposing it to curb anti-government protests.
The government set the 60-day emergency from Jan. 22 to help contain protests in the run-up to a general election on Feb. 2, but most of its measures were barely used, especially after a court ruled on Feb. 19 that some had been imposed illegally.
Since October the protestors have been trying to overthrow Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra who they accuse of corruption and of being under the influence of her brother, ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
Six independent agencies have joined together to act as mediator between the protestors who are represented by the People’s Democratic Reform Committee and the government, namely: the Election Commission, National Human Rights Commission, Office of the Ombudsman, National Anti-Corruption Commission, Office of the Auditor-General and National Economic and Social Advisory Council.
These agencies had called on the government and the PDRC to elect representatives with the aim of bringing the political crisis to an end, but both sides refused to submit names of moderators.
In an interview with Vatican Radio, Prof. Apichart Intravisit of Assumption University in Thailand said both sides were playing the “waiting game over who should send [the nomination] first. And eventually, none of them wanted to nominate anybody.”
“These agencies fail to solve the problem,” he said, explaining that the government refused to nominate anybody, while the PDRC said they only want “the government to be out.”
“This is the situation we are facing,” he said.
Twenty-three people have been killed since the demonstrations began in last year, most in shootings and grenade blasts.
The protests, however, have waned in recent weeks and are now mostly confined to Lumpini Park in Bangkok's central business district and a few other sites.
Listen to Ann Schneible’s report: