Residents hope peace will return
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Residents hope peace will return

People from all walks of life are hoping the imposition of martial law will return peace and order to the country.

Somphob Dondee, who works at Rangsit University, said martial law is a good way to prevent possible riots.

"The army reacted to the deterioration of the country's image due to the prolonged political conflicts and protests," he said.

Concerns about more lives being lost due to violence spurred the declaration of the law, he said.

However, he was worried that if martial law was enforced for too long, it could create more tension.

Janpen Upatising, a law student, believes the law could calm the situation temporarily.

"The army has yet to clarify its solution for ending the political stalemate. So I’m not sure whether the solution, if disclosed, will be accepted by the conflicting groups," she said.

"If martial law leads to a coup, there won’t be an end to it."

Songwut In-em, 34, a business owner, supported the imposition of the law as he believed it might bring about talks and eventually end the political conflict.

"I feel OK with martial law as it might help deal with ill-intentioned people," he said.

"Personally, I don't think that the situation will get any worse than it is currently. The military might not stage a coup," said Mr Songwut.

Natthapon Pankau, 25, an engineer, believed martial law has been enforced at the right time because demonstrations by both sides were becoming increasingly violent.

"I feel safer now martial law has been declared as it could prevent future violence and end the problems as soon as possible. However, it is now inconvenient for Bangkok residents to go out.

''This morning, traffic was very bad as there were many soldiers closing roads for safety reasons," said Mr Natthapon.

Sakonwan Khunthipmak, 20, a student, believed the situation would gradually improve. "Personally, I'm not worried as demonstrations continue in a peaceful manner. Nothing is dangerous, just inconvenient."

Songpon Sae-tang, 20, a motorcycle taxi driver, was afraid of the law and the military's role in the conflict, saying soldiers were enforcing the law strictly.

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