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BANGKOK (BLOOMBERG) – Thailand’s parliament rejected a push from pro-democracy groups for a constitutional amendment to reduce the powers of the nation’s monarchy, which could intensify months-long anti-government protests.
Instead, lawmakers voted in favor of the creation of a charter rewriting committee that will skip any revision of the chapters that govern the monarchy, Thailand’s most powerful institution.
The roadmap for the amendment proposed by a rights group, which the protesters support, failed to garner sufficient support from lawmakers.
With Parliament rejecting the monarchy reform demand, the protest groups have vowed to organize mass meetings until all their demands are met, which also include the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and a rewrite of the letter to make it more democratic.
Parliament’s decision came as thousands of anti-government activists held a demonstration for the second day in a row in the capital, after the most violent protest in years a day earlier left more than 50 people injured. They gathered at the police headquarters in central Bangkok on Wednesday to protest against the use of water cannons and tear gas against protesters.
“The vote shows that the majority of the members of Parliament chose to defend the power of the feudal dictatorship and ignore the demands of the people,” Juventud Libre, one of the protest groups, said in a statement.
“It can be predicted that the new Constitution that will be written will not reflect the will of the people because the reform of the monarchy will not be part of the discussion of the rewriting committee.”
Thailand’s current constitution has been the point of contention since its inception after Prayut, a former army chief, took power in a coup in 2014.
Protesters and critics saw it as an instrument to help the royalist establishment maintain its grip on power, and Prayut returned as leader after the 2019 elections.
The letter allows the military-appointed Senate, whose powers want to eliminate the protesters, to vote for the prime minister.
Thai protesters have broken long-standing taboos about publicly criticizing the royal family and questioning laws that stifle discussion about the monarchy.
Free Youth has said that the letter must be amended to “bring the monarchy under the Constitution.”
Amendments to Parliament’s statutes will likely not address all the protesters’ demands, according to political analysts.
Wednesday’s vote is the first of three planned that could pave the way to amend the letter, a process that is expected to take about a year or more.
On Wednesday, Thai anti-government protesters sprayed water at police headquarters in Bangkok and splattered the poster with paint a day after police used tear gas and water cannons against protesters, Reuters reported.
“Slaves to tyranny,” protesters chanted outside the building in central Bangkok.
Police were entrenched inside and made no immediate attempt to stop the demonstration.
On Tuesday, a demonstration near Parliament turned violent after police fired water cannons laced with irritants to disperse the crowd and some government supporters clashed with protesters.
The clashes point to growing political unrest, and pro-establishment groups also hold regular demonstrations. At least six people were wounded by gunfire during Tuesday’s protest, according to emergency medical services, but police denied using rubber bullets or live ammunition.
Prayut, who has repeatedly rejected requests to resign, said he called on security officials to ensure the safety of all parties during the protests and urged activists to respect the law and avoid violence.
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