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BANGKOK – Pro-democracy protesters in Thailand took to the streets of the capital again on Wednesday as the government escalated its legal battle against them, reviving the use of a tough anti-defamation law on the monarchy.
Their demonstration was peaceful, but less than two hours after it was declared over and many in the crowd were delayed, a man was shot and injured, according to initial reports by emergency services personnel and accounts and photos from witnesses posted on social media.
Although it was not clear whether the attack involved a personal or political dispute, it was a reminder that the threat of violence is linked to the passions involved in the protests.
On Tuesday, police issued subpoenas for 12 protest leaders to respond to charges of lese majesty or of defaming or insulting key members of the royal family. The crime is punishable by up to 15 years in prison per incident. Most of the protest leaders already face various other charges ranging from blocking trafficking to sedition.
The lese majesty law is controversial because anyone, not just royalty or authorities, can file a complaint, and it has been used as a weapon in political revenge in the past. But it has not been used for the past three years after King Maha Vajiralongkorn informed the government that he did not wish to see its use. The king has not publicly commented on the law since.
The protesters want the monarchy to be reformed to make it more accountable. They also want Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his government to resign and for the constitution implemented by the military to be amended to make it more democratic.
Several of the leaders wanted by the police were present on Wednesday when protesters gathered in a carnival setting next to the headquarters of a bank controlled by the country’s royal family. About 3,000 had joined in by the time the rally was declared over shortly after 9 pm, with the crowd chanting and dancing.
Many in the months-long student-led protest movement believe the monarchy has too much power for a constitutional monarchy. Royalists, including many in the military, fiercely oppose his challenge, viewing the royal institution as an untouchable foundation of national identity.
Food and souvenir vendors set up tables on a long stretch of sidewalk along the edge of a park-like complex occupied by the Siam Commercial Bank. Items with the image of a yellow rubber duck, a movement icon, could be seen almost everywhere. A protest leader delivered an energetic speech from the stage of a pickup truck while wearing a duck costume.
Ducks became a symbol of resistance last week when human-sized inflatable ducks were brought to a rally in front of Parliament and satirically nicknamed the protesters’ army. When the police pointed water cannons at them, the ducks served as makeshift shields.
At a ceremony in a park in another part of Bangkok, at least 600-700 supporters of the monarchy gathered for an appearance by the king, dressed in a white formal uniform. He and Queen Suthida participated in an offering-laying ceremony to commemorate the death in 1925 of King Vajiravudh, whose statue stands in front of Lumphini Park. In the past month, the royal couple have been making similar appearances where the public can see them face to face, an obvious attempt to shore up support for the royal institution.
The venue for Wednesday’s pro-democracy rally was changed Tuesday night by protesters. It was previously announced that it would take place outside the offices of the Crown Property Bureau, which manages the king’s controlled fortune, estimated at more than $ 40 billion.
The target was changed to the Siam Commercial Bank, a public company in which the king is the largest shareholder. The bank’s headquarters are in a different area of Bangkok, away from the district that houses the Crown Property Bureau and other royal and government offices.
The protest movement announced that the change of venue was to avoid a confrontation with the police and the royalist counter-protesters, which it feared could trigger a declaration of martial law or a coup by the military.
Barbed wire had already been installed around the offices of the Crown Property Office and the government had declared a 150-meter (500-foot) no-go zone around the property. Cranes deployed massive shipping containers to block the streets.
A protest rally in front of Parliament last week turned chaotic when police fired water cannons and tear gas at protesters. At least 55 people were injured, including six who reportedly had gunshot wounds. Police denied firing actual rounds or rubber bullets.
The next day, several thousand protesters gathered outside the national police headquarters in central Bangkok to protest the force used against them. That demonstration was not violent, but fueled royal outrage against the protest movement when protesters defaced the “Royal Thai Police” sign outside their headquarters and scrawled graffiti and chanted slogans that could be seen as derogatory of King Vajiralongkorn.
The protest leaders remained defiant even after being told they faced lese majesty charges. They declared that they would have four more days of rallies to pressure the government.
One of them, Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, posted his response to his summons on Twitter, saying, “I am no longer afraid. The roof (of our demands) is destroyed. No one can stop us now. “
A statement issued Wednesday by Free Youth, the driving force behind the coalition of protest groups, called Thailand a failed state whose people “are ruled by capitalists, military and feudalists.”
“And under this state, the ruling class oppresses the people who are the true founders and heirs of this country,” said the statement, the most strident issued so far on behalf of the group.
