up a three-finger salute as they occupy the road around Democracy
Monument during a rally in Bangkok on August 16, 2020. – Protesters
gathered for a rally in Bangkok on August 16 against the government
as tensions rose in the kingdom after the arrest of three activists
leading the pro-democracy movement. Lillian SUWANRUMPHA /
AFP.
Protesters were set to rally in Bangkok Sunday
against the government as tensions rose in the kingdom after the
arrest of three activists leading the pro-democracy
movement.
Thailand has seen near-daily demonstrations for the past month
by student-led groups denouncing Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha — a
former military chief who led the 2014 coup — and his
pro-establishment administration.
Prominent student leader Parit Chiwarak, bailed a day after his
arrest Friday night, vowed to attend Sunday’s rally at Bangkok’s
Democracy Monument.
“We will not disappoint you,” he told a crowd of supporters
outside the police station after he was released.
Organisers expect thousands to participate. Hundreds of police
personnel were seen at the venue before the scheduled start of the
protest.
The protesters, partly inspired by the Hong Kong democracy
movement, claim to be leaderless, and have relied mostly on social
media campaigns to draw support across the country.
The hashtag “Give a deadline to dictatorship” and “Tag your
friends to protest” started trending early Sunday on Twitter in
Thailand.
The protesters are dem anding an overhaul of the government and
a rewrite of the 2017 military-scripted constitution, which
demonstrators believe skewed last year’s poll in the favour of
Prayut’s military-aligned party.
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A rally last week — attended by some 4,000 demonstrators — also
called for the abolition of a law protecting Thailand’s
unassailable monarchy, and for a frank discussion about the royal
institution’s role in Thailand.
Super-rich King Maha Vajiralongkorn sits at the apex of Thai
power, flanked by the military and the kingdom’s billionaire
business elite.
The draconian “112” law can see those convicted sentenced to up
to 15 years in jail for each charge.
– Growing discontent –
The growing boldness of the pro-democracy movement has angered
the pro-royalist camp.
On Sunday, some 50 royalist protesters carrying portraits of the
king gathered at the Democracy Monument — the same venue where the
anti-government rally will take place later in the day.
“Long live the king,” shouted the royalists, dressed in yellow
shirts — the king’s colours.
The day before student leader Parit’s arrest, Prayut said the
protesters’ demands were “unacceptable” for the country’s majority,
calling the pro-democracy movement “risky”.
He struck a more conciliatory tone in a televised speech later
in the day, appealing for unity and saying the “future belongs to
the young”.
Thailand has long seen a cycle of violent protests and coups,
with the arch-royalist army staging more than a dozen putsches
since the end of absolutism in 1932.
The growing discontent also comes as the kingdom goes through
one of its worst economic periods since 1997 because of the
coronavirus pandemic.
Millions have been left jobless, and the crisis has exposed the
inequalities in the Thai economy, which is perceived to benefit the
elite, pro-military establishment.
AFP
Read more https://swordpress.com.ng/2020/08/16/tensions-rise-in-thailand-ahead-of-fresh-pro-democracy-protest/