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BANGKOK (AFP): Thousands of democracy activists marched at the Thai police headquarters in central Bangkok on Wednesday (November 18) in a second day of protest, after six people were shot during violent clashes.
The kingdom has been rocked by months of protests demanding changes to the Constitution, the removal of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha and even changes to the untouchable monarchy.
The protesters, numbering more than 10,000 by an AFP estimate, filled the Ratchaprasong intersection in the heart of Bangkok’s commercial and commercial district, after its leaders vowed to step up the movement.
After painting anti-royal slogans on the walls and floor, they marched towards the heavily defended national police headquarters, led by a clown and a parade of giant inflatable rubber ducks.
They were accompanied by a Buddhist monk giving the three-finger salute taken from the Hunger Games movies that has become emblematic of the youth-led protest movement.
Some protesters threw glass bottles and paint bombs on the walls of the police headquarters, which was barricaded with dump trucks, concrete blocks and barbed wire, while others used squirt guns to spray paint inside the compound.
Many had come equipped with helmets, goggles and gas masks to protect themselves from police action.
“We will protect our people. We do not want violence, but there will be no commitment until they comply with our demands, “protester Jay, 26, told AFP.
Wednesday’s protest came a day after the most violent clashes since the democracy movement began in July, when police used tear gas and irritating water cannons against protesters trying to reach parliament, and activists for the democracy clashed with the royalists.
More than 50 people were injured, six of them with gunshot wounds, according to medical officials, although it is unclear who was responsible for the shooting.
‘Keep fighting’
Prime Minister Prayut urged protesters to refrain from violence, but ruled out the introduction of another emergency decree, such as the one banning public gatherings of more than four people that lasted for a week in October.
But there are few signs that the protesters are willing to back down.
“We must not be afraid, this is just a transitional moment in our history,” Sirapop Poompuengpoot, another student leader, told the crowd on Wednesday.
“People work for us in Parliament and the rest is up to us: keep fighting.”
Tuesday’s drama saw protesters force their way through police barricades into Parliament to pressure MPs debating constitutional reform, prompting the use of tear gas and water cannons.
Police say they did not fire any live rounds or rubber bullets on Tuesday, and are investigating who was behind the shooting of six people, which occurred about 300 meters from the main protest area near Parliament.
The Thai Human Rights Lawyers Association harshly criticized the police tactics, saying they “did not agree with the international procedure for dispersing demonstrations.”
‘Challenge to the monarchy’
The movement has received calls from some to reform the monarchy, and on Wednesday protesters sprayed hundreds of anti-royalty slogans, some of them obscene.
These scenes were until recently unthinkable in a country where the king and his family are protected by some of the strictest royal defamation laws in the world.
“Tonight is our first victory. A victory for freedom of expression. We can talk about everything and write anything, even about our king, ”protester Luke, 29, told AFP.
“I’m really happy. I didn’t think this would happen in my country.”
King Maha Vajiralongkorn is at the cusp of Thai power, supported by the kingdom’s army and billionaire clans, and the royal family is supported by mostly older conservatives.
Lawmakers have been discussing various proposals for constitutional change this week, most of which exclude any reform of the monarchy.
On Wednesday they agreed to discuss two proposals for a “constitutional drafting assembly,” while rejecting more far-reaching bills to review the role of royalty and change the composition of the Senate. – AFP
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