国际英语新闻：Army Chief appointed as new emergency handling chief: Thai PM

BANGKOK, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Army Command-in-Chief Anupong Paojinda has been appointed as new emergency handling chief instead of deputy Prime Minister for security affairs Suthep Thaugsuban, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Friday night.

The prime minister said in a televised address around 9:20 p.m. that he has reviewed the situation and emergency handling agency after the raid against at least five red-shirted leaders failed early Friday.

Security force on Friday morning launched an offensive against a hotel in Bangkok in order to capture several leaders of the anti- government red-shirts movement, however all of them escaped with the help of hundreds of protesters.

Authorities will continue to try and arrest red-shirt leaders, acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayakorn said Friday afternoon.

The reason that the raid has not succeeded does not mean that the authorities can not do it, Abhisit said. "We will enlarge our achievement in fighting against terrorism and hunt for individual who supports terrorism."

"We will restructure the emergency handling center to mobilize forces in a unified and more integrated manner and deal with terrorism specially," he said. "Deputy Prime Minister for security affairs Suthep Thaugsuban has been in charge of all affairs. However, supervision must be strengthened."

Therefore, he decided to appoint Anupong as emergency handling agency chief and authorize him to deal with the current crisis.