Thai police on Sunday used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse hundreds of anti-government protesters who held a rally in Bangkok, despite COVID-19 restrictions banning gatherings of more than five people.
The demonstrators demanded that Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s government step down, and the budget of the monarchy and the military be cut during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also called for the importation of messenger RNA COVID-19 vaccines that have yet to be brought to Thailand on a large scale.
The rally came as Thailand recorded its largest single-day jump in COVID-19 infections — nearly 11,400 — and as fresh restrictions were announced, such as the shutdown of most domestic flights.
Photo: AFP
Many parts of the country, including Bangkok, are already under some form of lockdown, including restrictions on gatherings and business operations, as well as a nighttime curfew.
As infections and deaths climb and as more people face economic suffering, disapproval of the government’s handling of the pandemic has grown.
Criticism of Prayuth’s government for failing to secure early and adequate vaccine supplies is widespread. Thailand mostly relies on two vaccines, including China’s Sinovac shot, which some studies indicate is less effective against the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, which is wrecking havoc across Southeast Asia.
Thailand’s other main vaccine is AstraZeneca, which a Thai company owned by the country’s king has been producing, but in smaller than expected quantities.
Sunday’s rally was led by Free Youth, a student protest group that drew tens of thousands to its protests last year, when it demanded that Prayuth’s government step down, the constitution be amended to make it more democratic and the nation’s monarchy become more accountable.
Jutatip Sirikhan, one of Free Youth’s main activists, said that many people have died from COVID-19 because of a lack of transparency and mismanagement of Prayuth and his Cabinet.
Thailand has recorded 403,386 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3,341 deaths since the pandemic started. More than 90 percent of cases and deaths have occurred since April. This weekend, daily virus deaths rose above 100 for the first time.
“If we don’t come out now, we don’t know how long we shall survive and whether we will have a chance to do it again,” she said of the virus and the protests.
About 1,500 riot police were deployed, along with water cannon trucks. Deputy National Police spokesman Kissana Pattanacharoen acknowledged that the authorities used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters after several warnings.
Reports of injuries were not complete, but the city’s Erawan Medical Center emergency services said two people were sent to the hospital from the protests, which the organizers ended before nightfall.
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