Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL (CP Foods) gave away ready-to-eat meals to five hospitals in Tak province in an effort to boost morale for healthcare workers who have worked tirelessly to prevent COVID-19 at Thai-Myanmar border with nutritious, hygienic and delicious food.
“CPF’s food from the heart against COVID-19” project is currently providing food to Phop Phra Hospital, Mae Ramad Hospital, and Mae Sot Hospital. The project will also support two more hospitals in Tak Province, namely Thasongyang Hospital and Umphang Hospital.
“CP Foods, as a producer of safe and quality food, would like to lighten the burden of the Ministry of Public Health as well helping Thai people through the COVID-19 crisis,” Mr. Manop Noothade, the company’s representative said.
He added that the company hopes to use its expertise in food business to support this important mission, encouraging the healthcare professionals who are risking their lives to keep COVID-19 out of Thailand as Tak is a border province with a large number of workers from Myanmar.
CPF’s food from the heart against COVID-19 project was intimated as a part of the company’s commitment to help Thailand overcomes this global pandemic. Since the kick-off in March 2020, CP Foods has delivered variety of food menus to over 200 public hospitals nationwide.
This project is among multiple COVID-19 relief efforts in line with CP Group’s “Three-Benefit Principle to sustainability” principle, these are; benefit to the country in which the company invests, benefit to the people of that country and lastly of benefit to the company.
The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry’s Department of Royal Forest and Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization (TGO) have signed cooperation pact on “Climate change prevention through Forest Rehabilitation” with Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL (CP Foods), aiming to jointly the second phase of preserve, rehabilitate and regrow project covering 26,000 rai of terrestrial and mangrove forests for sustainable food security and balance of nature.
The signing cooperation was presided over by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Mr. Varawut Silpa-archa. Accompanying him were Permanent Secretary Jatuporn Buruspat, the ministry’s high-ranking officials and TGO executives. Mr. Suphachai Chearavanont, the chief executive officer of CP Group, CP Foods’ parent company, witnessed the signing by 4 signatories: Department of Royal Forest Director-General Mr. Adisorn Noochdumrong; Mr. Thanya Netithammakun, director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation; TGO Executive Director Mr. Kiatchai Maitriwong; and Mr. Prasit Boondoungprasert, Chief executive office of CP Foods.
The forest preservation and rehabilitation pact entails 7,000 rai of CP Foods “Rak Ni-Ves Project” at the Pasak watershed, Khao Phraya Doen Tong in Lop Buri province from 2021 to 2025: 14,000 rai of CP Foods Grow-Share-Protect Mangrove Forestation Project in the Gulf of Thailand, Samut Sakhon province from 2019 to 2023; and the addition of 5,000-rai green areas in premises of CP Foods.
Mr. Varawut said that the pact would support Thailand’s development in the long term by helping the country meet the multinational efforts to reduce greenhouse gases for sustainable growth of the economy, society and the environment. The pact would also promote the engagement from all parties in raising public awareness on GHG-induced impacts and continually strengthen the collaboration network.
“Climate change is closer than we think. To effectively mitigate the impacts demands collaboration from all parties,” Mr. Varawut said.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Mr. Varawut Silpa-archa
The novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) signals a warning that it is time to restore the balance of nature. CP Group is an exemplar private organization that sees this need and exercises policies for sustainable climate change solutions. It takes the lead in being a game changer by showing Thai society the need to restore nature and environmental balance. In this regard, the Ministry is ready to support all endeavors in tackling environmental issues.
The Minister added that CPF’s forest rehabilitation of the Pasak watershed and part of the Gulf of Thailand in Samut Sakhon will help restore the balance of nature, particularly mangrove forests which act as natural carbon dioxide storages, erosion barriers and marine life habitats. The projects can be replicated and serve as as example for forests in other parts of the country.
Mr. Supachai added that CP Group realizes the need of collaboration for sustainability and global climate impact mitigation. As the Age of responsibility for the environment, society and overall sustainability draws near, the private sector is obligated to acknowledge the climate impacts and set operational targets as well as indicators. As such, CP Group sets a goal to become a carbon-neutral organization within 2030.
“CP Group, fully aware of climate impacts, sets a target that our operations throughout the supply chain will achieve zero carbon emission and zero food waste in 2030. Today marks the start of our endeavor,” Mr. Supachai said.
Mr. Suphachai Chearavanont, the CEO of CP Group
The public-private collaboration sheds more light on climate change solutions. While the public sector takes the lead and inspires private-sector followers, CP Group is ready to follow the path towards sustainability and environmental conservation.
Police shoot water cannons laced with chemical irritants at protesters in front of Siam Paragon on Oct. 16, 2020.
BANGKOK— A number ofThai students studying abroad are voicing their condemnation of Friday’s crackdown on pro-democracy protesters and urging the government to consider reform demands made by the movement.
Samaggi Samagom, the prestigious Thai Students’ Association in the United Kingdom, issued a statement Saturday condemning the “disproportionate and procedurally illegitimate violence to dissolve the protests,” while the newly-founded Coalition of Concerned Students Abroad made a similar call.
Samaggi Samagom is an elite association founded in 1901 and currently under royal patronage. It consists of both current and former Thai students who studied in the United Kingdom.
The community of Oxbridge Thai students and alumni also issued a statement Monday condemning the severe state of emergency and Friday crackdown.
“The Government’s decision to declare emergency a “severe” State of Emergency was entirely unnecessary,” part of the manifesto signed by 102 alumni and students said.
“Using water cannons mixed with paint and chemicals to mark protesters for further arrest by state agents was disproportionately aggressive, and in violation of the international standards set out by the United Nations.”
The list does not include a signature by former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, an Oxford alumnus.
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A statement signed by 102 Thai Oxbridge alumni and students as well as a statement from the Oxford Thai Society.
The Oxford Thai Society also released a statement that stopped short of denouncing the violence on Friday in particular, but maintained that principles of non-violence and promotion of human rights should be respected.
“As long as citizens assemble peacefully per their right, all forms of violence against such individuals must be condemned, as protected under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” it said.
But the letter with the largest number of signatories is by the newcomer Coalition of Concerned Students Abroad, founded Sunday by two students from Georgetown University in the United States.
The Coalition’s statement took the more principled approach: its open letter to Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha signed by 868 students studying in 19 countries condemns the Severe State of Emergency, arrests of protesters and journalists, and asks the government to consider monarchy reforms demanded by the demonstrators.
“We urge the Royal Thai Government to respect democratic and parliamentary processes as spaces for public discussion, including those on the proposed reforms to the monarchy,” the statement reads.
“Freedom shall no longer be hunted, reason shall no longer be considered rebellion, and the slavery of fear shall no longer make us afraid to think.”
The Coalition is an initiative by Arin Chinnasathian, 23, and Haripoom Prasutchai, 21.
“What sets our statement apart is that the cosigners think the government should respect the democratic space for discussion, including the proposal to reform the monarchy, regardless of whether we agree with them or not,” the pair said in a statement to Khaosod English.
Arin and Haripoom began collecting names only since Thursday, though the effort spread like a wildfire among Thai students abroad via word of mouth. In an online interview, the pair said all of the co-signers’ identities can be verified. Their Coalition was founded Sunday.
“As far as I’m aware, this brought many Thai student clubs to discuss their political stance. This is something rarely, if ever, done before,” Arin said.
Although the reception was more positive than expected, some Thai student groups have refrained from signing the statement.
“Some groups want to claim neutrality, some are divided on political stance, which prevents clubs from taking an official stance,” Arin said. “But we will continue to do our duty if associations don’t, since we care about human and civil rights in Thailand.”
Haripoom also said, “There’s a refusal to be associated with politics in general. If you posted stuff on social media, then people could misconstrue you as political, and being political was a toxic label.”
A pro-democracy protester jumps over the barriers during an anti-government protest at Victory Monument during a protest in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s embattled prime minister said Monday that there were no plans to extend a state of emergency outside the capital, even as student-led protests calling for him to leave office spread around the country. Police, however, indicated they were working to censor coverage of the demonstrations.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s government has already issued a decree that bans public gatherings of more than four people in Bangkok, outlaws news said to affect national security and gives authorities broad power to detain people.
None of that has been able to keep the mostly young protesters from gathering en masse across Bangkok the past five days to push their demands, which also include constitutional changes and reform of the monarchy. On Sunday, rallies spread to at least a dozen provinces outside Bangkok.
A Buddhist monk, supporter of pro-democracy movement, displays a placard during a protest rally at an intersection in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
Prayuth told reporters the state of emergency will remain only in Bangkok for now.
“I want to ask them for a few things: Don’t destroy the government and private properties and don’t touch the monarchy,” Prayuth said of the demonstrators.
Nevertheless, police said Monday that there were pushing forward with ways to flex their power, including seeking to invoke censorship measures to restrict reporting on the protests.
Deputy police spokesman Kissana Phataracharoen confirmed that police are forwarding a request to the appropriate agencies to take action against information providers that give what he called “distorted information” that can cause unrest and confusion in society.
Under existing laws, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission and the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society are empowered to ban broadcasts and block internet content. Police themselves can also do so under the emergency decree, which went into effect Oct. 15, a day after protesters heckled a royal motorcade in once unthinkable scene in a country where the monarchy is protected by strict laws and treated with reverence.
Pro-democracy protesters shine their mobile phone lights during an anti-government protest in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Kissana spoke after a leaked copy of the censorship request, officially termed an order, circulated on social media.
The order, dated Oct. 16 and signed by the chief of police, calls for blocking access to the online sites of Voice TV, The Reporters, The Standard, Prachatai, and Free Youth, and removing their existing content. It also proposes a ban on Voice TV’s over-the-air digital broadcasts.
All the outlets have been broadcasting live coverage of the protests. Voice TV and Prachatai are openly sympathetic to the protest movement, and Free Youth is a student protest organization. As of Monday, none had been blocked. At least one local cable TV provider, however, has been censoring international news broadcasts during their segments on the Thai protests.
The Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand said it was “deeply concerned” by the censorship threat, adding that it “makes the government appear heavy-handed and unresponsive to criticism, and could stir up even more public anger.”
“Bona fide journalists should be allowed to report important developments without the threat of bans, suspensions, censorship or prosecution hanging over them,” the club said in a statement.
Pro-democracy protesters wave the Thailand national flag as others shine their mobile phone lights during an anti-government protest in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
In addition the emergency decree making protests illegal, authorities have also tried in vain to keep people from gathering by selectively shutting down stations on Bangkok’s mass transit lines. It has also warned that it will take legal action against those who promote the protests on social media, including by taking photographs there or checking into them on social media apps.
Despite that, protest-related hashtags remain the most used on Twitter.
The protesters charge that Prayuth, who as army commander led a 2014 coup that toppled an elected government, was returned to power unfairly in last year’s general election because laws had been changed to favor a pro-military party. The protesters say a constitution written under military rule and passed in a referendum in which campaigning against it was illegal is undemocratic.
Pro-democracy protest front liners flash three-fingered salute during a protest rally at Ashok intersection, Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
The protest movement became particularly controversial when it adopted reform of the monarchy as a demand. The protesters want it to act within the checks and balances of democracy.
The monarchy has long been considered sacrosanct in Thailand, and is protected by a law that makes defaming senior royals punishable by a prison term of three to 15 years. The issue has angered Thailand’s conservative establishment, especially the army, which considers protecting the monarchy to be one of its main duties.
Prayuth said Monday that the government is open to an extraordinary session of parliament to seek a solution to the current situation. It was not clear when that might be held.
Anti-government rally at Lat Phrao Intersection on Oct. 17, 2020.
BANGKOK — A leaked government document ordered internet service providers in Thailand to block access to Telegram, a messaging application used by many anti-government demonstrators to coordinate their campaigns.
The “Top Secret” order seen by Khaosod English cited the emergency decree that granted security officers power to block and control any information on the internet deemed to cause unrest in the country.
The letter addressed the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, telling the agency to pass its instructions to all service providers.
Telegram plays a major role in organizing anti-government protests in recent days. Many protesters use the application to discuss venues for rallies and skirt the government’s social media surveillance.
It is unclear whether the ban on Telegram will actually be carried out. Similar efforts initiated by the Russian government in 2018 failed to block the application.
BANGKOK — Fans of South Korean pop groups are fundraising millions of baht to support the ongoing pro-democracy protests in Thailand.
Taking advantage of their prominence on social media platforms, the K-pop fanbases raised and donated about 3 million baht to the protesters for buying necessary equipment, said Intira “Sai” Charoenpura, an actress turned activist who collected donations on behalf of the movement.
“This is an incomplete list. One boom, and I was able to buy 4,000 helmets, raincoats, gloves, safety hats, and so on,” Sai wrote in a tweet.
She continued, “For the millionth time, this fanclub power is what pooyai like to underestimate. They don’t understand that doing something or loving someone isn’t done by force. But if you love something, you can’t be stopped.”
The largest donations so far have come from the fan group for Girls’ Generation, which donated 779,562 baht.
Elfs, or fans of Super Junior, raised more than 700,000 baht in less than 24 hours. Fans of Chinese actors Wang Yibo and Sean Xiao donated about 349,000 baht, while Thai Exo-Ls, or fans of the Exo K-pop group contributed 300,704 baht.
BTS Thailand page – the band, not the skytrains – also urged K-pop fans to put an end to the tradition of buying up billboard ads on the BTS and MRT stations to support their idols. Both rail systems shut their doors during the protests over the past week, much to the frustration of the demonstrators and commuters.
“We’re calling Armys and other fancluts to stop buying ad projects with the BTS and MRT, because both inconvenienced protesters and normal citizens from getting home and putting them in danger,” the page wrote.
Fans of K-pop groups and other idol groups often pooled money to buy ads wishing their stars happy birthday on the BTS and MRT, as a show of good faith to their stars.
Large scale protests against the government continued for the fourth consecutive day on Sunday, the number swelling after an attempt by the police to crack down on a large rally attended by many students on Friday.
The demonstrators are calling for PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s resignation, amendments to make the 2017 Constitution more democratic, and reforms of the monarchy.
Other donations by fans:
BTS Army fans: 173,744 baht.
GOT7 fans: 167,000 baht.
NCT fans: 60,000 baht
WannaOne fans: 55,000 baht
Nu’est fans: 55,000 baht
X1 fans: 41,000 baht
Day6 fans: 35,000 baht
Red Velvet fans: 30,000 baht
MonstaX fans: 27,000 baht
Woodz Fans: 27,000 baht
Fans of “Aek” Heartrocker Thai gaming streamer: 27,000 baht
Left: Jarosdao Rimphanitchayakit. Right: Maj. Gen. Rienthong Nanna.
BANGKOK— A hospital director said he fired one of his doctors for signing a letter denouncing the use of chemical irritants in water cannons during crackdowns against protesters.
Surgeon Jarosdao Rimphanitchayakit, who worked at the privately owned Mongkutwattana Hospital, lost her job after director Maj. Gen. Rienthong Nanna said she violated the company policy of not colluding with “the enemy.” He also defended the police’s use of the water cannons, which left many protesters and journalists with a burning sensation.
“Our hospital has a clear policy to not have as our colleagues those who collude with the enemy,” Rienthong wrote. “The dispersing of the mob was systematic and gentle, without the use of violence. Therefore I have fired doctor Jarosdao Rimphanitchayakit as of Oct. 17, 2020 at 11:19pm.”
Jarosdao posted on her social media Saturday night that she was sorry she could not continue treating her patients.
“Sorry to all of my patients. We won’t be meeting at Examination Room 9, Building B, Floor 3 again. Thank you to people who gave me a chance, such as my patients who were my best teachers,” Jarosdao wrote.
“Thank you to Ajarn Rienthong Naenna for giving this thoracic surgeon a chance to work at Mongkutwattana Hospital for a year, an invaluable experience.”
Jarosdao was one of 386 doctors who signed an open letter criticizing the police’s use of force on pro-democracy demonstrators in Bangkok on Friday, calling an unwarranted attack on a peaceful assembly.
The letter, which now attracted 1,000 signatures from doctors across the country, said the use of high pressure water cannons mixed with chemicals is an “indiscriminate” and “violent measure” that should not be adopted against peaceful protesters.
The doctors also urged the police not to use any chemical agents that cause damage to the skin or respiratory system on unarmed demonstrators, and said they were disturbed by videos of police officers refusing to make way for ambulances during the crackdown.
Jarosdao was the only doctor from Mongkutwattana Hospital to sign the petition when it was unveiled on Saturday.
“I am sorry that I could not let this slide,” she wrote in her post.
Rienthong later said that on Sunday that he received a phone call threatening to bomb the hospital, and have reported the incident to Thung Song Hong police.
“Human rights activists, artists, actors, singers, academics, and professors who are against harassment, you should speak up against harassment of Mongkutwattana Hospital too,” Rienthong wrote.
Police Col. Panudech Sukawong said by phone Monday that the case was under investigation and could not comment further.
Rienthong is notorious for his extremist views against the pro-democracy camp and those who call for reform of the monarchy.
He had announced in January that all employees at his hospital must have their social media accounts screened for anti-establishment views, and said that those who support Future Forward Party and Redshirts should not seek treatment at his hospital. .
On Oct. 2, activist Ekachai Hongkangwan said that the Medical Council of Thailand refused to comply with his call to suspend Rienthong’s medical license for his inflammatory comments.
“Doctor Riengthong Naenna’s actions are unrelated to his practice,” said the letter signed by council deputy secretary general Wisut Fongsiripaibul.
Apart from running the family-owned hospital, Rienthong is the founder of an ultraroyalist activist group that publicly identified those suspected of defaming the Royal Family and called for legal prosecution against them.
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha speaks to reporters on Oct. 19, 2020.
BANGKOK — The government ordered the national broadcasting regulator to censor four online news sites for any contents that violate the Emergency Decree, several media agencies reported Monday.
The order was issued by the government’s anti-protest center and signed by police chief Gen. Suwat Jangyodsuk, according to photos of the document shared online. It instructed the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission to scrutinize the four news agencies and “stop their broadcast, halt their publication, or delete their computer data” in case of any violations.
The targeted media sites were named as The Reporters, The Standard, Prachatai, and Voice TV. Their representatives insist they did not break any laws and would continue to carry on their operations.
“Let me affirm that, as a member of the press, we will perform our duty in accordance with our journalistic principles, ethics, and rights and liberty under the law,” The Standard’s editor Nakarin Wanakijpaibul wrote online.
“Honored to report accurate info about human rights and political development in Thailand, we’ll try our best in continuing to do so,” reads a message published by Prachatai’s English edition.
“We have checked and confirmed it’s a genuine document,” Thapanee Eadsrichai, veteran journalist and “The Reporters” founder, wrote online. “We will continue with our duty.”
“Voice TV would like to affirm that our standard of practice is to do our duty in accordance with journalistic principles, without distorting the information, causing misunderstanding, or sabotaging the national security or peace and order of the public,” wrote Voice TV director Makin Petplai.
There is no immediate response from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission.
The order said some of the reports published by the four news agencies violate the Emergency Decree, which bans the broadcasting of information that affects national security and “good morals” of the people. It did not specify which news reports were problematic.
Digital minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta declined to say whether the document is genuine, but said the government is cracking down on websites and online accounts that broadcast the protest or violate the Emergency Decree.
“We will file charges against two or three individuals,” Buddhipongse told reporters. “And as for the media based on Facebook, we have already collected the evidence, because they broke the emergency decree.”
He said security officers are looking into 300,000 URLs of social media users and websites who may breach the emergency rule.
The news appears to confirm what many fear about PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s declaration of the “Severe State of Emergency” on Thursday – that the decree’s broad power will be used to silence the media institution and censor reports about the opposition to Prayut’s regime.
“Journalism is not a crime, censorship is not an option,” online news site Thai Enquirer wrote in a statement today. “The government of Prayut Chan-ocha should, instead of censoring the press, read the content of new and digital media to understand the grievances and viewpoints of the people it claims to represent.”
“The Thai Enquirer calls on the government to rescind the gag order immediately and to engage in dialogue with the press, the opposition and the people.”
A statement released by the Thai Journalist Association on Friday also warned the government not to exploit the emergency rule for its own gains.
“We urge the government to avoid exercising power under the [Emergency Decree] that infringes on media freedom,” the association said. “They must exercise caution in maintaining peace and order, and state media must not be used to incite hatred of the public against any particular party.”
A worker disinfects a school in Tak province, Oct. 19, 2020.
BANGKOK (Xinhua) — Thai northwestern province of Tak ordered a temporary halt to all movement of goods across the border with Myanmar from Monday until Oct. 25, in an attempt to stem the possible spread of COVID-19 from Myanmar.
The temporary measure was ordered by Tak governor Pongrat Piromrat.
In the past week, three Myanmar cross-border truck drivers and three members of a family of Myanmar migrant workers tested positive for COVID-19 in Tak’s Mae Sot district.
The community has been placed under 24-hour watch by village guards to conduct body temperature checks of everyone entering and exiting the location.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha instructed relevant agencies to stay vigilant of illegal migrant workers sneaking into Thailand.
Cumulative COVID-19 infections in Thailand are currently at 3,686, with 3,481 recoveries and 59 deaths.
A Buddhist monk, supporter of pro-democracy movement, displays a placard during a protest rally at an intersection in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
BANGKOK (AP) — Thousands of mainly young Thais were back on the streets of Bangkok on Sunday for a fifth straight day of protests demanding sweeping political change, with demonstrations also taking place at several other locations around the country.
The demonstrators, who are protesting despite a state of emergency banning them from doing so, received a new warning from police that they are violating the law. On Saturday, however, few people had been arrested as peaceful rallies were held at several points around Bangkok, the capital, with several thousand taking part.
A statement issued Sunday night by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s office acknowledged the rights of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly, but insisted that people obey the law. It said Prayuth was ready to listen to the frustrations of Thai people, but that he also ordered the authorities to be vigilant for unscrupulous groups that might want to instigate violence for their own political benefit.
Pro-democracy demonstrators hold posters of protest leaders who have been arrested, during an anti-government protest at Victory Monument in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. Photo: Sakchai Lalit / AP
The protest movement — which is calling for the prime minister’s resignation, a more democratic constitution and a reformed monarchy — began in March at universities around the country. After a lull due to the coronavirus crisis, it was revived in late July, building up strength, particularly in Bangkok.
On Sunday, rallies were called in at least a dozen provinces, including Chiang Mai, a popular tourist destination in northern Thailand. Social media spread the word, though the government said it would seek legal action against accounts posting details of planned protests.
The rallies in Bangkok again drew large crowds, perhaps as many as 10,000 in all, despite the official warnings and intermittent rain. Organizers declared the protests officially over at 8 p.m., though many people lingered.
Pro-democracy protesters gather at Victory Monument in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
“If we are together we have a better chance to win, but if we let people fight alone there will be less chance to win,” a 24-year-old protester who called herself Pear said at a rally at the busy Asoke intersection, located in the commercial heart of the capital. “So we are here to express ourselves, what we are wanting and what we are expecting for the future as well.”
The larger rally in Bangkok was held at Victory Monument, a popular meeting point that anchors a traffic circle on a main thoroughfare. The atmosphere there was jumpy due to occasional rumors that police had been spotted nearby.
The crowds at both venues shouted slogans throughout the events, ranging from “Free our friends!” — referring to arrested protest leaders — to rude insults directed at the prime minister and others.
Police officials scuffle with pro-democracy demonstrators during an anti-government protest at Victory Monument in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
People at the Asoke gathering hesitantly sang a song with exhortations to serve the people. It is likely many were unfamiliar with the words, because the song was popular during a 1973 student uprising in Thailand that toppled a military dictatorship.
The authorities earlier tried in vain to keep people from gathering by selectively shutting down stations on Bangkok’s elevated and underground mass transit lines. On Saturday, after protest organizers had urged followers to meet at the city’s Skytrain stations, the authorities ordered all stations to be closed, to little avail.
The current cycle of confrontations began before dawn Thursday, when police broke up an overnight rally outside Government House, which hosts the offices of Prime Minister Prayuth. It led him to declare a 30-day state of emergency for Bangkok, banning gatherings of more than five people and allowing the government extra powers to keep the peace.
Pro-democracy supporters wave their mobile phones with flash on during a protest rally at an intersection in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. Photo: Gemunu Amarasinghe / AP
Protesters ignored the emergency decree and gathered Thursday night in large numbers at a major intersection in Bangkok’s central shopping district, overcoming half-hearted resistance by thin lines of police.
A Friday night rally at a nearby intersection was crushed by a large force of riot police backed by truck-mounted water cannons. The use of force was condemned by rights organizations.
Police made no efforts to break up Saturday’s gatherings, which ended peacefully.
“The situation is very dynamic at the moment,” police deputy spokesperson Kissana Phatanacharoen said at a Sunday morning news conference. “There is no formula as to what we do or what we don’t do.”
A security guard stands watch as placards against shutting down mass transport systems hang at Ashok BTS station in Bangkok, Thailand, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
He said that if people failed to obey the law, police would be compelled to enforce it.
The protesters charge that Prayuth, who as army commander led a 2014 coup that toppled an elected government, was returned to power unfairly in last year’s general election because laws had been changed to favor a pro-military party. The protesters say a constitution promulgated under military rule and passed in a referendum in which campaigning against it was illegal is undemocratic.
The protest movement became particularly controversial when it adopted reform of the monarchy as a demand. The protesters want it to act within the checks and balances of democracy.
The monarchy has long been considered sacrosanct in Thailand, and is protected by a law that makes defaming the royal institution punishable by a prison term of three to 15 years. The issue has angered Thailand’s conservative establishment, especially the army, which considers protecting the monarchy to be one of its main duties.
