Internal Security Act to impose in Cha-Am
The leaders of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) will meet in Cha-Am and Hua Hin from October 23 to 25, for the 15th ASEAN Summit. To ensure that things will go smoothly and to avoid the chaos we saw in Pattaya last April, the government will impose the Internal Security Act, which is likely to come into effect on October 12. Unauthorised gatherings will be prohibited, and 10,000 military and police officers will be deployed.
If you live in Cha-Am or Hua Hin, maybe the “poo-yai ban” paid you a visit to gather information about your vehicles (brand, colour, registration number). It’s because local residents (Thai and foreigners) will be issued passes (stickers to put on vehicles) to ease the passing of checkpoints.
As a tourist you shouldn’t notice anything special, apart from the military presence along the main roads. As you may know, the country is divided between two political currents who distinguish themselves by wearing red shirts (pro-Thaksin and anti-government) or yellow shirts (anti-Thaksin, to state things simply). Wearing a red tee-shirt won’t get you into trouble, but let’s say it is preferable to avoid showing off two much of these coulours these days, especially red.
