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BANGKOK: More than 30 civilians and police were injured in protests in Bangkok, an emergency medical center said on Sunday (March 21), after police used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the demonstration. the previous night.
A video circulated on social media showing police officers beating and trampling people, others fleeing the police in riot gear and some abandoning their motorcycles. Another video showed people sheltering from tear gas at a McDonald’s restaurant.
Thirteen police officers and 20 others were injured, Erawan Medical Center said.
Police officers line up during a protest in Bangkok on Saturday, March 20, 2021. (Photo: Reuters / Chalinee Thirasupa)
Police said on Sunday that their actions were in accordance with international standards and that 20 protesters were arrested for violating public assembly laws and insulting the monarchy.
“The violence originated on the side of the protesters and the police have to uphold the law and protect national treasures,” Bangkok Police Deputy Chief Piya Tavichai told reporters.
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The protesters were not immediately available for comment. Most of its leaders have been arrested.
Portraits of the king were defaced in protests on Saturday night, which drew more than 1,000 people.
A protest that took place on February 28 also saw several protesters and police injured.
Riot police raise their shields as they immobilize a protester during clashes at a protest in Bangkok on Saturday, March 20, 2021 (Photo: Reuters / Chalinee Thirasupa).
Thailand’s youth protest movement emerged last year and has represented the greatest challenge to the government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, a retired army general who took power in 2014 from an elected government.
Protesters say he engineered a process that preserved the establishment of the military monarchy and kept it in power after the 2019 elections. Prayut and his supporters reject that claim.
Protesters have demanded reform of the monarchy, breaking a traditional taboo, saying that the constitution drafted by the military after the 2014 coup gives the king too much power.
The Royal Palace, which declined to comment on Sunday, has avoided commenting directly on the protests. The government has said that criticism of the king is illegal and inappropriate.
