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BANGKOK: Protesters took to the streets of Bangkok on Saturday (September 19) when a demonstration expected to draw tens of thousands of people began calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and demanding reforms to the monarchy.
Thailand has witnessed 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 the Hong Kong protests, 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.
Thai Student Union spokesperson Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul (center left) and activist Panupong “Mike” Jadnok (center right) react outside the gate before protesters stormed to demonstrate at Thammasat University in Bangkok on September 19, 2020. (Photo: AFP / Lillian Suwanrumpha)
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.
The rally was later expected to move to the historic Sanam Luang field in front of the royal palace, where the protesters plan to spend the night.
“We are fighting for more democracy,” said prominent student activist Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul on the eve of the protest.
“The plan is not to destroy the monarchy but to modernize it, adapt it to our society.”
On Sunday, protesters are expected to march to nearby Government House, a move authorities have warned against.
Protesters gather under umbrellas to protect themselves from the rain during a rally at Thammasat University in Bangkok on September 19, 2020 (Photo: AFP / Lillian Suwanrumpha).
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 on the cusp of Thai power, backed by the kingdom’s military clans and billionaires, and has an estimated fortune of $ 60 billion.
READ: Thai Prime Minister vows to keep the peace during planned anti-government protest
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 rewrite of the 2017 military-scripted 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 movement, analysts say, which has gained momentum online thanks to the clever use of social media by students.
READ: Thai protesters await largest anti-government rally in years
“A critical mass would send a clear message that the protesters are a force to be reckoned with,” said Thitinan Pongsudhirak of Chulalongkorn University.
Prayut 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 top trending hashtag on Thai Twitter on Friday night was “September 19, we take back 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.
