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BANGKOK: Thai authorities summoned university heads to tell them to stop demanding monarchy reform from students, warning that such calls could lead to violence, a designated Senate member said on Sunday (September 13). by the military.
Thailand has faced almost daily protests since mid-July calling for the departure of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, a former military leader, and for a new constitution and elections.
Some groups have also listed 10 lawsuits to curb the powers of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s Royal Palace, breaking a long-standing taboo in the Southeast Asian country.
Senator Somchai Sawangkarn told Reuters that state-appointed provincial governors had sent letters to university directors, calling them to meetings ahead of protests scheduled for September 19 in Bangkok and elsewhere.
“University administrators must create understanding with students about this and must end the demands of the monarchy,” he said.
“We did not tell the governors to block the protests but we want them to generate understanding with university officials, especially about the 10 demands of the monarchy.”
An Interior Ministry official confirmed those letters had been sent and said it was standard procedure. The Palace did not respond to requests for comment.
Student leader Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul, 21, who was the first to read the list of 10 demands for the palace reform, told Reuters it was “desperate tactics”.
“They are using this tactic to try to repress and threaten people,” said Panusaya, one of more than a dozen activists arrested in previous protests before being released on bail.
A letter to a university reviewed by Reuters read: “There are concerns about the inappropriate behavior of some groups participating in the protest, for example those who want to overthrow the monarchy and those who demand the repeal of article 112 of the penal code.”
Article 112 refers to the Lese Majesty laws of Thailand, which provide a prison sentence of up to 15 years for insulting the king.
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“IT COULD LEAD TO VIOLENCE”
“This is a sensitive issue that could lead to violence,” the letter says, referring specifically to the incidents of 1976 and 1992, when dozens of anti-government protesters were killed by security forces.
He said the police would take legal action against anyone who behaves inappropriately in the protests, while the digital ministry will take legal action against anyone who uses social media “to distort and defame the monarchy” or to incite protests.
A meeting participant said authorities asked his university to draw up a list of possible rioters.
The government spokesperson, Anucha Burapachaisri, said he was not aware of the letters from the Interior Ministry. She said the government will not try to stop the protests, but that the authorities will enforce the law and do not want “escalations or clashes.”
Most of the Thai universities are sponsored by the state.
Anusorn Unno, a professor at Thammasat University, who joined more than 100 academics in a statement in support of students’ free speech in August, said such orders were not unusual.
“The only difference this time is that some evidence has been leaked,” he said.
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Prime Minister Prayut, a former military leader who rejects accusations that last year’s elections were unfair, has said protests should be allowed but not criticism of the monarchy.
The Senate helped secure Prayut’s position as prime minister after the 2019 elections. He was appointed by the previous Prayut military government and protesters want him removed under a new constitution.
Among the 10 reforms to the monarchy sought by some groups of students are a reduction of the constitutional powers of the king, as well as his personal control of the royal fortune and some army units.
