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Thousands of people gathered in Bangkok yesterday in the largest anti-government demonstration since the coronavirus pandemic gripped the kingdom.
The protesters, led by university students and accompanied by political activists from other parts of the country, invaded Sanam Luang, a field next to the Grand Palace that is normally fenced off and reserved for royal or official events. They vowed to camp overnight and march to an undisclosed government office today. It is estimated that more than 30,000 people showed up yesterday.
The weekend’s rally is the latest in a series of protests that have erupted across Thailand against the coalition government led by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, which critics say is backed by a specially drafted constitution to cement the influence of the realist. pro-military establishment.
Unlike previous flash-mob-style protests, the activists planned an extended sit-in this time.
Led by a group of students called the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration (UFTD), the protesters are demanding a reform of Thailand’s powerful and wealthy monarchy. During a rally on August 10, the UFTD presented 10 reform proposals that included reducing the budget for real expenses and not overly glorifying the monarchy.
The proposals caused a stir among the royalists, who regard the monarchy as an untouchable institution.
While the government has said it is open to constitutional changes, it has called the monarchy’s demands for reform a “sensitive” issue. A 3.3 trillion baht ($ 144 billion) budget for the next fiscal year approved by the House of Representatives in its final reading on Friday included nearly nine billion baht for palace spending.
The protests take place at a time when Prayut is facing tough economic challenges. Thailand’s economy is forecast to contract by 8.1% by the end of the year and the prime minister is still struggling to fill the post of finance minister after former banker Predee Daochai hastily vacated the position earlier this month. The deep recession and looming mass unemployment have led to intense scrutiny on how tax money is spent.
Parit Chiwarak, a key member of the UFTD, told The Sunday Times yesterday: “When we bring up our problems, we never talk about the real cause of them … This should end in our generation.”
A 21-year-old student from Thammasat University, a traditional hotbed of dissent, who was at the rally said the 10 proposals on the monarchy were aimed at strengthening the institution for the future.
Also present at yesterday’s protest were many “red shirt” activists who played a key role in the last decade of color-coded political conflict in the kingdom, something with which the current generation of young protesters has little affinity.
“They joined us with the same ideology, to demand democracy,” Parit said.
A 60-year-old red shirt supporter, calling herself Aew, said: “Students came out to protest because the red shirts did not achieve our goals.”
The protesters, dressed in black T-shirts, face masks and raincoats due to intermittent drizzle, were largely peaceful. One report said that at least 10,000 uniformed and plainclothes police officers patrolled the area around the rally.
So far, the government has avoided direct confrontation with the protesters. But Prayut, in his strongest remarks yet, said Thursday: “When you gather in crowds, you create a huge risk of new infections. And with that, you also create a huge risk to the livelihoods of scores of millions of fellow Thais. “
He said that while he had asked the police to be tolerant, the protests will delay business recovery by affecting business confidence and will make tourists think twice before returning to Thailand.
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