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
Indonesia was to sign an agreement to repatriate two British nationals, including a grandmother languishing on death row for drug-related crimes, an Indonesian government source said yesterday. “The practical arrangement will be signed today. The transfer will be done immediately after the technical side of the transfer is agreed,” the source said, identifying Lindsay Sandiford and 35-year-old Shahab Shahabadi as the people being transferred. Sandiford, a grandmother, was sentenced to death on the island of Bali in 2013 after she was convicted of trafficking drugs. Customs officers found cocaine worth an estimated US$2.14 million hidden in a false bottom in Sandiford’s suitcase when
CAUSE UNKNOWN: Weather and runway conditions were suitable for flight operations at the time of the accident, and no distress signal was sent, authorities said A cargo aircraft skidded off the runway into the sea at Hong Kong International Airport early yesterday, killing two ground crew in a patrol car, in one of the worst accidents in the airport’s 27-year history. The incident occurred at about 3:50am, when the plane is suspected to have lost control upon landing, veering off the runway and crashing through a fence, the Airport Authority Hong Kong said. The jet hit a security patrol car on the perimeter road outside the runway zone, which then fell into the water, it said in a statement. The four crew members on the plane, which
POWER ABUSE WORRY: Some people warned that the broad language of the treaty could lead to overreach by authorities and enable the repression of government critics Countries signed their first UN treaty targeting cybercrime in Hanoi yesterday, despite opposition from an unlikely band of tech companies and rights groups warning of expanded state surveillance. The new global legal framework aims to bolster international cooperation to fight digital crimes, from child pornography to transnational cyberscams and money laundering. More than 60 countries signed the declaration, which means it would go into force once ratified by those states. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the signing as an “important milestone,” and that it was “only the beginning.” “Every day, sophisticated scams destroy families, steal migrants and drain billions of dollars from our economy...
Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner yesterday signed a coalition deal, paving the way for Sanae Takaichi to become the nation’s first female prime minister. The 11th-hour agreement with the Japan Innovation Party (JIP) came just a day before the lower house was due to vote on Takaichi’s appointment as the fifth prime minister in as many years. If she wins, she will take office the same day. “I’m very much looking forward to working with you on efforts to make Japan’s economy stronger, and to reshape Japan as a country that can be responsible for future generations,”
RSS