Protests against Thai authorities dominated by monarchies and the military over the past two months Reuters intensified. Criticism of the monarchy is illegal in Thailand. The next demonstration should take place on Thursday.
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Hundreds of unarmed police stopped the dissidents on Saturday. However, the leaders of the protest announced that they had managed to pass on to the Royal Guard a list of requests to be delivered to the police headquarters. “Our biggest win in the last two days is that we have shown that even ordinary people like us can send a letter to the kings,” said protesters Parit Chivarak.
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Saturday’s protest, attended by tens of thousands of people, was one of the largest demonstrations in Thailand in recent years, according to Reuters. In addition to reforming the monarchy, protesters demanded the departure of the prime minister and former head of the Thai army, Prajut Chan-Ochi, who plotted a coup in 2014 and remained in power after the 2019 elections. Demonstrators are calling for new elections and a change in the constitution.
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According to the organizers, up to 100,000 protesters took part in the demonstration, with police estimates ranging between 20,000 and 30,000.
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Near the Royal Palace in Bangkok, protesters concreted a plaque that read, “At this point, the people have expressed their will that this country belongs to the people and is not the property of the monarchy, as it has betrayed us.”
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A government spokesman, meanwhile, said police would not use violence against the protesters, adding that the decision to prosecute possible illegal activities was with the police. “Away with feudalism, long live the people,” the protesters chanted. The plaque symbolizes a similar plaque commemorating the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932 and was removed without explanation from the exterior of the royal palace in 2017 after Vatčirálongkón ascended the throne.
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However, the protests are also the target of criticism. Prominent right-wing politician Warong Dechgitvigrom said the actions of the protesters were inappropriate and that the king in Thailand was above politics. “It didn’t work out,” he told Reuters. “These actions are symbolically directed against the king, but the king is not an opponent.”
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Protesters in Thailand are largely inspired by protesters in Hong Kong, so their movement does not have a clear leader. Individual protests are usually convened on social networks. The main goal is to force the resignation of Prime Minister Chan-Ochi, the former head of the Thai army, who planned a coup in 2014 and remained in power even after the disputed elections of 2019.
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Protesters also demand the dissolution of parliament and the rewriting of the 2017 constitution, which gives extensive powers to 250 senators, all appointed by the military.
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