Thailand Puts Capital on Lockdown

At WSJ, "Thailand Declares State of Emergency for Bangkok: Measure Takes Effect Wednesday and Will Continue for 60 Days":

BANGKOK—The Thai government declared a state of emergency in its capital in response to antigovernment protests that have paralyzed the city and stirred up increasingly violent attacks.

The decree was set to be imposed Wednesday and last 60 days, but protest leaders vowed to defy it and carry on with demonstrations aimed at forcing Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra from office.

Over the past week, unknown assailants have launched attacks on the protesters, killing one and injuring dozens. The unrest is also dragging on the economy, with Japanese auto companies, some of Thailand's most important investors, raising a red flag that future investment could be affected.

If the political upheaval persists, it will have an "increasingly significant impact" on foreign investors, according to Rajiv Biswas, chief economist, Asia-Pacific, for IHS Global Insight, a forecasting firm.

"Most investors feel that the political risks are so deep that there's no solution in sight," Mr. Biswas said. "They're unable to make decisions about long-term investment if they don't know who is going to be in power."

Officials said they would disclose details of the security measures Wednesday. Generally, emergency decrees give authorities powers to detain suspects without charge, censor media, impose curfews and ban political gatherings of more than five people, among other things.

The imposition of the emergency decree is the government's latest attempt to ensure that elections set for Feb. 2 will go ahead, and to restore control in parts of Bangkok that have been occupied, said Yuttaporn Issarachai, a political scientist at Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University.

"People's rights are being threatened and it appears like the authorities are doing nothing about it," Mr. Yuttaporn said.

The protests have stretched on for two months, with numbers reaching as high as 150,000, mostly from Bangkok's middle classes. They have long opposed the populist policies and family dynasty of Ms. Yingluck and her brother, billionaire businessman Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed as prime minister in a coup in 2006.

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