As police secure arrest warrants for PAD top brass, people fear the worst

There was no violence yesterday after the criminal court issued arrest warrants for People's Alliance for Democracy leaders.

But, many fear for the worst.

State hospitals are ready for emergencies during anti-government protests, Public Health Minister Chavarat Chanveerakul says.

Emergency Medical Services are on standby for accidents.

Hospitals near Government House - where thousands of PAD demonstrators have gathered in protest - are on extra alert.

EMS acting chief Surachet Satitiniramai says it has |emergency plans that involve seven hospitals near the main demonstration site.

These are Vachira, Siriraj, Chulalongkorn, Rajvithi, Pramongkutklao, Ramathibodhi and Police General Hospital.

Rajvithi Hospital stopped accepting outpatients yesterday so it has staff and equipment to spare in the event of an emergency.

Each hospital has ambulances ready and medical teams on special standby. Other teams are ready to treat victims in the field.

EMS says it can get anyone to a hospital within 10 minutes.

"Medical teams will not stand down until this situation ends," Surachet says.

Meanwhile, an Education Area office director, Rapeephan Eksupaphan, says seven schools near the PAD rally site will stay closed for another day.

Those schools are Makuta-satiyaram, Sommanas, Rajavinit Prathom, Rajavinit Matthayom, Wat Benjamaborpit, Satree-|vidhya and Bovornives schools.

An Abac Poll asked people in 16 provinces about the crisis and 58.6 per cent says it hopes the political stand-off ends peacefully.

The remainder says the situation is hopeless.

However, a majority, or around 79.4 per cent, believes this political rift makes Thailand look like a country in chaos.

More than half, or 61.3 per cent, says the situation is stressful. Ninety per cent says the country will survive this test.

A significant majority, or 85 per cent, says the judiciary is the group that can sort this mess out.