About 2,500 Thai protesters on Saturday evening demanded the resignation of the government and the dissolution of parliament, defying a COVID-19 ban on gatherings in one of the largest street demonstrations since a 2014 military coup.
People at the student-led rally near Bangkok’s Democracy Monument cited a litany of complaints against the year-old civilian government of Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the former army chief who ousted an elected government six years ago.
Organizers issued three demands: the dissolution of parliament, an end to harassment of government critics and amendments to the military-written constitution that critics say virtually guaranteed victory for Prayuth’s Palang Pracharat Party in elections last year.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“How can we be OK with the lack of democracy like this?” student activist Tattep Ruangprapaikit told the crowds.
There were also some veiled public references at the protest to the powerful Thai monarchy, despite a law forbidding criticism of the king. Such references would once have been unthinkable.
Police were on standby, but did not move to stop the protest.
The monument was cordoned off with signs reading: “No entry without permission. Maintenance in progress.”
The protests started with student groups, but during the evening hundreds more arrived to join, swelling the numbers to about 2,500, according to organizers and estimates by reporters on the scene.
Organizers said they would disperse at 8am yesterday, but would return to the streets in two weeks if their demands were not met.
Public opposition to Prayuth has been growing in recent months.
Since last year’s election, a court has dissolved the second-largest opposition party, giving his ruling coalition firmer control in parliament.
Prayuth also saw several Cabinet members resign on Thursday over internal disputes.
Prayuth’s party campaigned on a vision of traditional Thai culture and loyalty to Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Thailand is officially a constitutional monarchy, but insulting the king is punishable by up to 15 years in prison, and many conservatives view the monarchy as sacrosanct.
Some signs and speeches at Saturday’s protest made veiled references to the monarchy.
“This is our country, but whose home is in Germany?” said one of the student leaders on a small stage set up on the street.
Vajiralongkorn has an estate in Germany, where he spends much of the year.
A protest sign read “Lost faith is definitely not a crime!!! #Thiwakorn,” a reference to a protest on Friday in the northeast in support of a man who was committed to a psychiatric hospital after he wore a T-shirt saying he had lost faith in the monarchy.
Another banner said “The People’s Party Isn’t Dead” — a reference to the party whose revolution ended absolute royal rule in 1932.
Prayuth last month warned political activists not to risk their futures by criticizing the monarchy.
‘GREAT OPPRTUNITY’: The Paraguayan president made the remarks following Donald Trump’s tapping of several figures with deep Latin America expertise for his Cabinet Paraguay President Santiago Pena called US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming foreign policy team a “dream come true” as his nation stands to become more relevant in the next US administration. “It’s a great opportunity for us to advance very, very fast in the bilateral agenda on trade, security, rule of law and make Paraguay a much closer ally” to the US, Pena said in an interview in Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration today. “One of the biggest challenges for Paraguay was that image of an island surrounded by land, a country that was isolated and not many people know about it,”
DIALOGUE: US president-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform confirmed that he had spoken with Xi, saying ‘the call was a very good one’ for the US and China US president-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) discussed Taiwan, trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump heads back to the White House with vows to impose tariffs and other measures on the US’ biggest rival. Despite that, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The call came the same day that the US Supreme Court backed a law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company. “We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for
‘FIGHT TO THE END’: Attacking a court is ‘unprecedented’ in South Korea and those involved would likely face jail time, a South Korean political pundit said Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday stormed a Seoul court after a judge extended the impeached leader’s detention over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law. Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court on Saturday in a show of support for Yoon, who became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in a dawn raid last week. After the court extended his detention on Saturday, the president’s supporters smashed windows and doors as they rushed inside the building. Hundreds of police officers charged into the court, arresting dozens and denouncing an
RELEASE: The move follows Washington’s removal of Havana from its list of terrorism sponsors. Most of the inmates were arrested for taking part in anti-government protests Cuba has freed 127 prisoners, including opposition leader Jose Daniel Ferrer, in a landmark deal with departing US President Joe Biden that has led to emotional reunions across the communist island. Ferrer, 54, is the most high-profile of the prisoners that Cuba began freeing on Wednesday after Biden agreed to remove the country from Washington’s list of terrorism sponsors — part of an eleventh-hour bid to cement his legacy before handing power on Monday to US president-elect Donald Trump. “Thank God we have him home,” Nelva Ortega said of her husband, Ferrer, who has been in and out of prison for the
RSS