DFA taking care of Pinoys in Bangkok amid state of emergency, Palace assures

Malacañang gave an assurance on Thursday that Filipinos residing in Thailand are well taken care of by the Foreign Affairs department, after a state of emergency was declared in Bangkok. Executive Secretary Leandro Mendoza said Filipinos in Bangkok have already been advised by DFA officials regarding the security and safety measures they need to take. The DFA has also issued a travel warning as early as March 9 asking Filipinos to cancel non-essential trips to the troubled southeast Asian country, said deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar. Filipinos were likewise advised to “avoid areas that have been identified as meeting areas and staging areas for the rallyists," he said. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency in Bangkok on Wednesday to deal with anti-government protesters. (See: Thai PM declares state of emergency in Bangkok) He, however, did not spell out how the emergency decree will be applied. "The government has tried its best to enforce the law, but violations of the law have increased," Abhisit said in a televised statement. "Our main goal is to bring the country back to normal and make our law sacred once again." The rallyists, also known as "Red Shirt" protesters contend that Abhisit came to power illegitimately. They are supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Sinawatra and have been camped in Bangkok since March 12. An AP report said they have ignored all other decrees for them to stop their demonstrations.—Aie Balagtas See/JV, GMANews.TV