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BANGKOK : Senior Thai judges began deliberating Tuesday on whether to dissolve the kingdom's two main political parties as thousands of troops were put on alert amid security fears ahead of the court verdict.
Thailand's Constitutional Tribunal must decide whether Thai Rak Thai (TRT), the party formed by ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and the Democrat Party are guilty of a slew of charges of electoral fraud related to annulled elections in April last year.
If the parties are found guilty, the nine judges assigned to the tribunal by Thailand's military-backed government have the power to dissolve them and ban their executives from politics for five years.
The judges are meeting under absolute secrecy -- they have police escorts to and from their homes and journalists are barred from their office premises.
They are expected to make individual decisions before meeting as a group to agree on a final verdict later Tuesday.
The potentially divisive ruling, which will be read out Wednesday, comes after more than a year of political upheaval culminating in the September 19 coup against Thaksin.
The military government which seized power has promised to hold a referendum on its new constitution ahead of planned elections by December.
But analysts say dissolving Thailand's main parties could cause chaos, and fears of violence in Bangkok have prompted warnings that the government could resort to "an emergency decree" if necessary.
Small numbers of unarmed soldiers were posted in and around at least three television stations in Bangkok late Tuesday, according to station employees who said the troops were there for security reasons.
"The CNS considers the event on Wednesday as a top priority," said Colonel Sunsern Kaewkumnerd, Council for National Security (CNS) spokesman.
Some 15,000 troops have been put on alert in their barracks, waiting to deploy if the security situation deteriorates, Sunsern said, warning that a state of emergency would be declared at the first sign of trouble.
"We will assess the situation after the court delivers its verdict and combine that with our intelligence gathering before we stand the troops down," he told AFP.
Military government leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin will command security operations beginning Tuesday, said a source at the Internal Security Operation Command, adding that troops had already secured strategic areas around the country.
Intelligence sources said they expected that not more than 10,000 people could rally against an unpopular court verdict, and that so far the situation was calm.
"As of now there is nothing to be worried about, but we are closely monitoring every movement," Council for National Security Secretary-General Prakit Prachonpachanuk told reporters.
But several foreign countries have already warned their citizens to remain vigilant ahead of the verdict.
"You should avoid demonstrations, political rallies and concentrations of military personnel," the Australian embassy said in a statement, joining Canada, France and Japan in issuing advisories.
The French embassy late Tuesday decided to close the French Lycee on the day of the verdict, a diplomat said. Four Thai schools near the court will also be closed Wednesday.
Some 900 police will be deployed throughout Bangkok on Tuesday evening, protecting the Constitutional Tribunal offices and setting up checkpoints to deter party supporters from travelling to the capital from the provinces, officials said.
"Police who deploy at checkpoints will also search for possible bombs and firearms," said General Wichian Potphosri of the National Police Office.
An additional 900 police would also be put on alert, he said.
- AFP /ls
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