Top security for Children's Day
Young students play with air-pump rockets at the Walking Street of Science and Technology event held at the Science and Technology Ministry on Rama VI Road. The event is open till Saturday (January 13).
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Tight security will be enforced for the celebration of National Children's Day in Bangkok on Saturday.
The Education Ministry will triple the number of police and soldiers on duty as well as set up fingerprint and bomb-scanning checkpoints at Sanam Sua Pa and the Royal Equestrian Statue. Following a meeting on security issues with 10 state agencies, deputy permanent secretary for education Boonrat Wongyai said the area will be sealed from Friday afternoon. A grand celebration presided over by Deputy PM MR Pridiyathorn Devakula will be held at Sanam Sua Pa on Saturday. The three public entrances will be equipped with fingerprint-scanning devices and body-searching protocol, while the inner layer will be limited to only two entrances, each with a bomb-scanning security gate. The First Army Area will bring 10 tanks and some cannons to be displayed to children at the Royal Equestrian Statue from Friday. Boonrat urged the public not to panic on seeing them. Over 10,000 people are expected to turn up for the celebrations at Sanam Sua Pa, Dusit Zoo and Government House, so the number of security officers patrolling the areas will be tripled, he added. Tomorrow, as part of the celebrations, 171 outstanding youths will meet Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont at Government House, Boonrat said. On January 17, more than 170 student representatives will meet and greet Surayud as part of the celebrations. Meanwhile, Metropolitan Police chief Lt-General Wirot Chantarangsi said city police and the Army will join forces to beef up security in Bangkok, while Chiang Mai Zoo will also tighten security to prevent bomb attacks. Police will double checkpoints from 42 to 84 across Bangkok and coordinate with the Army and related agencies to provide security and accommodate traffic at the celebration sites through the day. Wirot urged parents to watch for suspicious persons or items and to take care of children by putting a name and address in their pockets. Up north, Chiang Mai Zoo will hold celebrations on Saturday and Sunday, which include fun activities and free entry from January 13 to 31 for children shorter than 135 centimetres. The zoo will remove all opaque trashcans, set checkpoints and have soldiers patrolling the area.
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