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Police forces broke up a demonstration in front of the government building in Bangkok on Thursday. The imposition of a state of emergency intensifies the repression. Numerous students met again in the evening.
Thai police are cracking down on protesters in Bangkok with a massive presence. Gatherings of more than five people are now prohibited.
The Thai government responded to the growing wave of protests in Bangkok on Thursday and declared a state of emergency in the capital. As a result, gatherings of more than five people are now prohibited. In addition, censorship is being toughened: the dissemination of information “that may cause disturbances or impair national security” is prohibited. The protesters, who were waiting outside the government building on Thursday night, have been evicted and at least 20 people have been arrested. Among them are four of the most famous protest leaders, such as human rights activist Arnon Nampha.
Evacuation at four in the morning
A government announcement said Thursday that the deployment of security forces was aimed at restoring “peace and order.” The police action, which is evidently being discreetly supported by the army, is also justified by the disruption of the royal convoy the day before. On Wednesday, the monarch’s entourage had to be protected by the police through a sea of protesters.
After declaring the state of emergency at four in the morning, thousands of policemen in full march and with evacuation vehicles left; The young people were asked to leave the camp through loudspeakers. The students offered little resistance. The government responded to protesters’ plans to wait at least three days in front of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s government headquarters. They ask for the resignation of the head of government, new elections and the drafting of a new constitution.
Neither popular uprising nor clear leadership
It is unclear how long the state of emergency will last in Bangkok. It is also questionable whether the students are really discouraged by this: on Thursday night, thousands gathered again, many of them in school uniforms, in the business center of the metropolis; They again called for Prayuth to resign and for the detainees to be released. The action shows for the second time in 24 hours that the police cannot enforce the ban on assemblies.
The fact that the security forces have detained the main exponents of the movement suggests that the government intends to break the resistance. It remains to be seen whether the protesters’ tactic of spontaneously gathering in new places will work in the coming days. It will not be easy for them: so far, their popular support has been limited, and there is also no clear succession of opposition political parties.
Similar to the 2014 coup
The beginnings of the protest movement date back to the banning of the young politician and billionaire Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit’s Future Forward Party earlier this year. Since then it has been growing in popularity. Recently, criticism of the situation has also been directed against the power of the unpopular King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Student reform ideas may have gone too far for many conservative forces in Thailand, especially the government and military.
Following the declaration of the state of emergency, Bangkok finds itself in a situation almost similar to that of the 2014 coup. It is true that today at least a formal civilian government is in power, and parliament can still meet. However, numerous fundamental rights remain in force, arrests are possible without justification, the media must now (further) track them, and gatherings of people are prohibited in the name of national security.
