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BANGKOK (AFP, REUTERS) – Thousands of protesters in the Thai capital demonstrated against the government of former coup leader and prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Saturday (September 19), and many also demanded reforms from the powerful monarchy.
“Down with feudalism, long live the people,” was one of the chants.
Thailand has seen almost daily meetings of youth-led groups since mid-July to demand the resignation of Prayut, the former army chief behind the 2014 coup, and a complete overhaul of his administration.
Some are also demanding reforms to the kingdom’s ultra-rich and powerful monarchy, a subject that was once taboo in Thailand due to its strict royal defamation laws.
The burgeoning movement, partly inspired by pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, remains largely leaderless.
But the weekend’s rally is organized by students from Bangkok’s Thammasat University, a group that has been among the most vocal about the role of the royal family in Thailand.
A crowd of several hundred gathered before noon at the closed doors of the university, demanding to be allowed in.
The protesters chanted “Down with the dictatorship, long live democracy!” and “Prayut get out!”
“If you don’t open, we’ll go in,” protesters shouted, before forcing the doors open, despite student leaders calling for calm, allowing hundreds of people to enter campus.
In a light rain, protesters poured into Sanam Luang, a public space in front of the Grand Palace where state ceremonies are traditionally held.
“Today the people will demand that power be returned to them,” Arnon Nampa, a human rights lawyer who has become a leading figure in the protest movement, said on Twitter.
On Sunday, protesters are expected to march to nearby Government House, a move authorities have warned against.
The show of force is expected to be the largest since the 2014 coup: student activists expect more than 50,000 supporters to turn out.
Police said about 10,000 officers would be deployed to the area.
FORCE TO BE RECOGNIZED?
A cycle of violent protests and coups has long plagued Thailand, with the arch-royalist army intervening to organize more than a dozen coups since the end of royal absolutism in 1932.
The latest wave of student-led demonstrations has been largely peaceful.
But unprecedented calls by some protesters for frank discussions on the monarchy have caused a stir across the kingdom.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn is at the cusp of Thai power, backed by the kingdom’s billionaire and military clans, and has an estimated fortune of $ 60 billion (Singapore $ 81.54 billion).
The students’ demands include greater accounting of the palace’s finances, the abolition of royal defamation laws, and a call on the king to stay out of politics.
They also want a military-scripted rewrite of the 2017 constitution, which they say tipped last year’s election in Prayut’s favor, and for the government to stop “harassing” political opponents.
So far, authorities have arrested more than two dozen activists, charging them with sedition before releasing them on bail.
The weekend’s demonstrations will be a test for the pro-democracy movement, analysts say, which has gained momentum online thanks to the clever use of social media by students.
“A critical mass would send a clear message that the protesters are a force to be reckoned with,” said associate professor Thitinan Pongsudhirak of Chulalongkorn University.
Prayut has warned that Thailand could be “engulfed in flames” if the move goes too far.
But he promised that the authorities would use “soft measures” on the protesters “because they are children.”
The most trending hashtag on Thai Twitter late on Friday was “September 19, we regain the power of the people.”
Around the world, Thais are expected to rally in solidarity, with weekend protests planned in a dozen countries, including Germany, Australia and the United States.
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