Thousands of people yesterday protested in the center of Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, in the first demonstration since Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha ignored pro-democracy advocates’ Saturday night deadline to resign.
It was also the first major show of force since Prayuth lifted the Oct. 15 emergency measures that had been meant to stop three months of protests against the government and monarchy, but which brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets.
“If he doesn’t resign, then we must come out to ask him to quit in a peaceful way,” protest leader Jatupat “Pai” Boonpattararaksa said yesterday as people chanted “Prayuth Out.”
Photo: Reuters
The prime minister’s office posted a note on Twitter to say he was not quitting.
He has said the crisis should be discussed in parliament, which is due to hold a special session today and tomorrow, but his opponents have little faith in an assembly dominated by his supporters.
There was no sign of a major police presence around protesters at the Ratchaprasong Intersection, an emotive location for protesters as it was the scene of bloodshed in 2010 in a crackdown by security forces on anti-establishment protests.
Photo: AFP
A government spokesman said there would be no use of force and called on people to remain peaceful and respect the law.
In the relaxed atmosphere, a group of drag queens gathered at the intersection to put on a show.
Protesters are also planning to march to the German embassy today as a message to King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who is currently in Thailand, but spends much of his time in Bavaria.
Photo: Reuters
“Going to the German embassy reflects the evident problem of the king’s exercise of power is making many people uncomfortable and raises questions whether it violates the German law,” activist Piyarat “Toto” Chongthep said.
Pro-democracy advocates seek the departure of Prayuth and a new constitution.
They say that Prayuth, who led a coup in 2014 as the army chief, was returned to power unfairly in last year’s general election, because laws had been changed to favor a pro-military party.
Photo: Reuters
They say that the constitution, written and enacted under military rule, is undemocratic
They have also demanded curbs on the monarchy, saying it has enabled the military to dominate Thailand for decades.
Prayuth’s government last week called the special parliamentary session to seek to defuse weeks of almost daily protests.
“The only way to a lasting solution for all sides that is fair for those on the streets as well as for the many millions who choose not to go on the streets is to discuss and resolve these differences through the parliamentary process,” Prayuth said last week.
Prayuth remained resolute on Saturday while attending a prayer ceremony for the country at a historic Bangkok temple, saying “all problems can be solved” through compromise.
“The government has real intentions to solve problems as long as it’s under the line of laws,” he told reporters, adding that he “won’t quit.”
His critics have said that the points of discussion submitted by the government for parliament to debate dealt not with their concerns, but were thinly disguised criticisms of the protests, including the risk of COVID-19 spreading at rallies, the alleged interference with a royal motorcade by a small crowd earlier this month, and illegal gatherings and the destruction of images of the royal family.
The king has been back in Thailand for the past week and a half to commemorate a major Buddhist holiday and the death of his father, Bhumibol Adulyadej.
He has not commented on the demonstrations, but he has made rare public visits with his supporters waiting outside the palace — a charm offensive for an army of local and international media.
Thais abroad have also held demonstrations in solidarity with the student movement, with some gathering in Tokyo’s Shibuya district yesterday carrying signs that read “Prayuth get out.”
Additional reporting by AFP
Kehinde Sanni spends his days smoothing out dents and repainting scratched bumpers in a modest autobody shop in Lagos. He has never left Nigeria, yet he speaks glowingly of Burkina Faso military leader Ibrahim Traore. “Nigeria needs someone like Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso. He is doing well for his country,” Sanni said. His admiration is shaped by a steady stream of viral videos, memes and social media posts — many misleading or outright false — portraying Traore as a fearless reformer who defied Western powers and reclaimed his country’s dignity. The Burkinabe strongman swept into power following a coup in September 2022
‘FRAGMENTING’: British politics have for a long time been dominated by the Labor Party and the Tories, but polls suggest that Reform now poses a significant challenge Hard-right upstarts Reform UK snatched a parliamentary seat from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labor Party yesterday in local elections that dealt a blow to the UK’s two establishment parties. Reform, led by anti-immigrant firebrand Nigel Farage, won the by-election in Runcorn and Helsby in northwest England by just six votes, as it picked up gains in other localities, including one mayoralty. The group’s strong showing continues momentum it built up at last year’s general election and appears to confirm a trend that the UK is entering an era of multi-party politics. “For the movement, for the party it’s a very, very big
SUPPORT: The Australian prime minister promised to back Kyiv against Russia’s invasion, saying: ‘That’s my government’s position. It was yesterday. It still is’ Left-leaning Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday basked in his landslide election win, promising a “disciplined, orderly” government to confront cost-of-living pain and tariff turmoil. People clapped as the 62-year-old and his fiancee, Jodie Haydon, who visited his old inner Sydney haunt, Cafe Italia, surrounded by a crowd of jostling photographers and journalists. Albanese’s Labor Party is on course to win at least 83 seats in the 150-member parliament, partial results showed. Opposition leader Peter Dutton’s conservative Liberal-National coalition had just 38 seats, and other parties 12. Another 17 seats were still in doubt. “We will be a disciplined, orderly
ENTERTAINMENT: Rio officials have a history of organizing massive concerts on Copacabana Beach, with Madonna’s show drawing about 1.6 million fans last year Lady Gaga on Saturday night gave a free concert in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for the biggest show of her career. “Tonight, we’re making history... Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd. The Mother Monster, as she is known, started the show at about 10:10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary. Cries of joy rose from the tightly packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Concert organizers said 2.1 million people attended the show. Lady Gaga
RSS