On 2 October, the Bad Student high school protest group organized protests at Bangkok high schools in Bangkok to protest against the abuse and mistreatment of school students, then assembled at the Ministry of Education to again call for the resignation of the Education Minister. [1]
After no major events for nearly a month, on 13 October, the day before a planned demonstration date, a small group of protesters gathered at Ratchadamnoen Avenue near Democracy Monument, to protest the passing of the king's motorcade. [2] Vajiralongkorn, who rarely returns to Thailand, [3] was visiting to honor the fourth anniversary of his father's death. [4] Twenty-one protesters were detained, [5] and while the royal motorcade passed, others raised the three-finger Hunger Games salute, a notable incident of open dissent to the Thai monarchy. A hashtag insulting the king trended on Twitter. [6] [7]
The planned protest rally on 14 October began at Democracy Monument, with the objective of moving to Government House to demand the resignation of Prayut. [8] Both the United States Embassy and the United Nations in Bangkok warned their staff of an elevated risk, the latter due to the arrest of the 21 protesters the previous day. [5] Authorities ordered "counter-protesters" to be trucked in using municipal vehicles, [9] some of whom subsequently joined the protests. [10] Right-wing groups, including the Thai Pakdee (Loyal Thais) and the Rubbish Collection Organization, launched counter-protests. [11] [12] Later in the day, tens of thousands of protesters, [13] some under the umbrella of "Khana Ratsadorn 2563" (a reference to the historical People's Party), in a largely peaceful rally, marked by some violent assaults on the protesters by pro-royalists, [14] marched to Government House and set up camps around it. [15] The protest coincided with a planned royal progression around the city, which the protesters stated they would not impede and did not. [14] Typically, roads on the royal motorcade's route are closed in advance by police. [16] In this instance, however, the motorcade made no formal announcement, and the previously announced route was via another avenue. [17] Protesters flashed the three-finger salute while chanting "Our taxes"—a reference to the monarchy's spending [4] —and "Nation, Religion, People". [16] Meanwhile, Prayut ordered legal actions against the protesters for allegedly blocking the motorcade, [17] which included Queen Suthida and the heir-apparent Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti. [3] According to Reuters, the demonstrators got close to the car but were "always behind police and none appeared to be trying to reach it". [16] Anon accused the authorities of intentionally arranging the motorcade through the rally site. He gave an estimate of 200,000 participants before midnight. [18]
On 15 October, the authorities declared a "severe" state of emergency in Bangkok from 04:00 local time and banned gatherings of five or more people. [19] [20] The protesters were cleared using riot police. [19] In the process, police detained 20 demonstrators, among them three protest leaders, and imposed a ban on sensitive media stories. [21] The government indicated it would set up a state-of-emergency command center. During the day, troops were dispatched to guard Government House and Parliament, [22] raising alarm from an opposition member of parliament (MP) of resembling pre-2014 coup days. [23] Opposition parties demanded the revoking of the Emergency Decree and an extraordinary session of Parliament. [24] Two activists were arrested on the charge of attempting an “act of violence against the queen’s liberty”, an arcane law which incurs a possible life sentence, but eyewitnesses confirmed that they only shouted at the motorcade. [3] [25] Three senior policemen were transferred and investigated for the motorcade incident. [26] A smaller planned occupation of at least 13,500 participants went ahead at 4pm at the Ratchaprasong intersection, [27] [28] where bloodshed occurred during the crackdown in 2010. [27] [29] Twenty more protesters were arrested, [30] but the movement vowed to continue protesting with flash protest tactics. [31] A legal aid group reported at least 51 people were arrested between 13 and 15 October. [32]
On 16 October, the Thai cabinet confirmed a month-long state of emergency, reserving the right to impose a curfew and martial law. [33] Prayut's remark of the protesters "don’t be careless, because people can die today, or tomorrow [...] Do not trifle with the powerful Grim Reaper," paraphrasing Buddha's teaching, was viewed by protesters as threatening the use of deadly force and as the actions of "a tyrant". [34] Around 2,000 unarmed protesters, mostly teenagers, gathered at Pathum Wan Intersection, and two hours later were dispersed by the police. High-pressure water cannons with chemical-filled water and tear gas were used. [35] [36] The leader of the opposition Move Forward Party unsuccessfully asked police to evacuate the injured. The Commander of the Metropolitan Police reported at least 100 people were arrested. [37] Protesters vowed to continue. [28] Within hours of the crackdown, students from many universities nationwide held flash protests in response. [38] [39] [40] Some right-wing personalities used an AFP video clip which showed a police officer in full riot gear being hit with pincers to question whether the protesters were unarmed. [41] [42] The blue colour dye in the water—speculated to be methylene blue, Azure A, or Thionine [43] —was used to mark participants for potential arrest later. [44] Protesters complained that the water contained a skin and eye irritant. [44] The police could not confirm the exact type of chemicals deployed and were criticized for not appearing more curious about the chemicals they had purchased. [45] The police said the chemicals were not dangerous and that they were following "international standards" for crowd control; [44] [46] however, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights guidance states water cannon should be used only against violent protests. [47]
Protests grew bigger afterwards as the leaders adjusted and held demonstrations at multiple locations on short notice, giving police less opportunity to coordinate a response. [48] On 17 October, an estimated 23,000 participants held rallies mainly at three different sites in Bangkok and several smaller sites, despite the government-ordered shutdown of the MRT and BTS rapid transit systems, which affected hundreds of thousands of commuters. [49] Protests were also held in at least six other provinces. Two demonstrators who were charged with attempting "violence against the queen’s liberty" were granted bail. [50] On 18 October, according to police figures, approximately 4,000 protesters demonstrated at Victory Monument, with over 2,000 attending rallies at two Bangkok intersections; protests continued in several provinces. [51] On 19 October, crowds gathered at three locations in the northern suburbs of Bangkok, including outside Bangkok Remand Prison, where many activists arrested for involvement in the protest were detained. Two demands were also presented to the government, asking for the release of activists without persecution and for the emergency decree to be revoked within 24 hours. [52] On 20 October, after the government threatened to shut down Facebook pages and Telegram, the leading group of the protesters, the Free Youth, announced a 'big surprise' for 6pm, [53] which was revealed to be that protesters would take a break. [54]
External videos | |
---|---|
Assault of student protesters at Ramkhamhaeng University 21 October 2020, Twitter video |
On 21 October, a pro-government Facebook page posted pictures of a parade of bureaucrats expressing allegiance to the King. [55] In a televised evening speech on 21 October, Prayut suggested that both sides de-escalate and reconcile their differences through the parliamentary process. He offered to promptly lift the state of severe emergency in Bangkok if there was no further violence [48] [56] and asked the protesters to tone down the level of their rhetoric. [56] After gathering earlier in the day at Victory Monument, thousands marched the 4 km (2 mi) to Government House and delivered a resignation letter for Prayut to sign, [48] pledging to back off if he resigned within three days and dismissed all legal action against the protest leaders. [56] On the same day, the protesters and a group of royalist counter-protesters wearing yellow shirts clashed at Ramkhamhaeng University, when the latter crossed the police line and attacked the former, [57] resulting in one injured student and a prosecution report. [58] The following day, Prayut revoked the severe emergency declaration, on the grounds that the severity of the situation had lessened. [59] [60]
On 24 October, after Prayut did not resign, leading movement protesters vowed to recommence street actions; [61] Prayut scheduled an emergency parliamentary session for 26–27 October. [62] Protesters did not trust his plan to amend the constitution and preferred that the government show good faith and resign before advocating for amendments. [63] The non-voting government sessions tabled three items on the agenda, none of which were addressed the protesters' concerns. [64] [65] Sompong Amornwiwat of the Pheu Thai Party, the country's largest opposition party, asked Prayut to resign, while the Move Forward Party accused the prime minister of utilizing the royal motorcade incident to blame the protesters. [66] Palang Pracharath Party member Paiboon Nititawan defended the prime minister, citing his leadership during the economic crisis and his protection of the monarchy. [67] In addition, Seri Ruam Thai Party chairman Sereepisut Temiyavet walked out after House Speaker Chuan Leekpai insisted that he withdraw his use of the term "I Hear Too", a vulgar reference to the prime minister's nickname, Tuu. [68] As a result, Prayut said that the government would present a Constitutional amendment bill and a committee to resolve the political conflict would be set up, [69] however, Bangkok Post opined that it failed to reach any resolutions to the situation. [70]
On 26 October, protesters marched to the German Embassy in Bangkok, petitioning the German government to investigate the King's activities in Germany, including whether or not he had violated German sovereignty by exercising powers from German soil. [64] [71] [72] Earlier in the day, yellow-shirted monarchy supporters assembled at the embassy in advance of the planned rally and submitted a letter signed by the pro-royalist People of Thailand group to an official. [73] On 27 October, over 1,000 people dressed mostly in yellow demonstrated in support of the King at Lumphini Park in central Bangkok. Demonstrations by royalists have been smaller than the tens of thousands at the largest pro-democracy protests. [74]
On 29 October, protests at Sri Mariamman Temple in Bangkok's Si Lom district satirized the fashion business of the King's daughter Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana, whose brand reportedly received 13 million baht from the Ministry of Commerce budget. [75] [76] [77]
On 30 October, after the release of three protest leaders, the police from another province immediately detained them further, prompting the flash protest outside the police station where they were kept. [78]
On 31 October, AFP released a fact-check article to debunk an idea that the German Foreign Minister said the Thai King did no wrong. [79]
The politics of Thailand are conducted within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, whereby the prime minister is the head of government and a hereditary monarch is head of state. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislative branches.
Human rights in Thailand have long been a contentious issue. The country was among the first to sign the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 and seemed committed to upholding its stipulations; in practice, however, those in power have often abused the human rights of the Thai nation with impunity. From 1977 to 1988, Amnesty International (AI) reported that there were whitewashed cases of more than one thousand alleged arbitrary detentions, fifty forced disappearances, and at least one hundred instances of torture and extrajudicial killings. In the years since then, AI demonstrated that little had changed, and Thailand's overall human rights record remained problematic. A 2019 HRW report expanded on AI's overview as it focuses specifically on the case of Thailand, as the newly government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha assumes power in mid-2019, Thailand's human rights record shows no signs of change.
The People's Alliance for Democracy was a Thai reactionary, monarchist political movement and pressure group. It was originally a coalition of protesters against Thaksin Shinawatra, the former Prime Minister of Thailand.
Prayut Chan-o-cha is a former Thai politician and army officer who became the 29th prime minister of Thailand after seizing power in the 2014 coup d'état and served until 2023. He was concurrently the minister of defence in his own government from 2019 to 2023. Prayut served as commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army from 2010 to 2014 and led the coup d'état which installed the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the military junta which governed Thailand between 22 May 2014 and 10 July 2019.
In Thailand, lèse-majesté is a crime according to Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code, which makes it illegal to defame, insult, or threaten the king of Thailand, the queen of Thailand, the heir to the throne of Thailand, or the regent of Thailand. Modern Thai lèse-majesté law has been on the statute books since 1908. Thailand is the only constitutional monarchy to have strengthened its lèse-majesté law since the Second World War. With penalties ranging from three to fifteen years imprisonment for each count, it has been described as the "world's harshest lèse majesté law" and "possibly the strictest criminal-defamation law anywhere". Its enforcement has been described as being "in the interest of the palace".
The People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) or People's Committee for Absolute Democracy with the King as Head of State (PCAD) was a reactionary umbrella political pressure group in Thailand. Its aim was to remove the influence of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra from Thai politics by deposing the incumbent Pheu Thai government of Yingluck Shinawatra and creating an unelected "People's Council" to oversee political reforms. The group played a key role in the 2013–14 Thai political crisis and the lead up to the 2014 Thai coup d'état, organising large-scale protests within Bangkok and disrupting voting in the 2014 Thai general election in order to prevent a predicted victory by Pheu Thai.
The history of Thailand since 2001 has been dominated by the politics surrounding the rise and fall from power of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and subsequent conflicts, first between his supporters and opponents, then over the rising military influence in politics. Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai Party came to power in 2001 and became very popular among the electorate, especially rural voters. Opponents, however, criticized his authoritarian style and accused him of corruption. Thaksin was deposed in a coup d'état in 2006, and Thailand became embroiled in continuing rounds of political crisis involving elections won by Thaksin's supporters, massive anti-government protests by multiple factions, removals of prime ministers and disbanding of political parties by the judiciary, and two military coups.
The National Council for Peace and Order was the military junta that ruled Thailand between its 2014 Thai coup d'état on 22 May 2014 and 16 July 2019. On 20 May 2014, the military declared martial law nationwide in an attempt to stop the country's escalating political crisis, and to force the democratically elected government out of office. On 22 May, the military removed the Yingluck Shinawatra government and formed the NCPO to take control of the country. The junta censored the broadcasting system in Thailand, suspended most of the constitution, and detained members of the Thai cabinet. The NCPO was formally dissolved following the swearing-in of the new cabinet on 16 July 2019. Critics like former Thai ambassador Pithaya Pookaman charge that the NCPO "...is practically still very much intact. Its arbitrary power[s] ... transferred to the existing Internal Security Operations Command chaired by the prime minister."
The year 2020 is the 239th year of the Rattanakosin Kingdom of Thailand. It is the fifth year in the reign of King Vajiralongkorn, and is reckoned as year 2563 in the Buddhist Era. The year was most significantly marked the by the global COVID-19 pandemic, which reached Thailand in January, as well as widespread youth-led protest movements against the government and for reform of the monarchy.
In Thailand, protests began in early 2020 with demonstrations against the government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. They later expanded to include the unprecedented demands for reform of the Thai monarchy. The protests were initially triggered by the dissolution of the Future Forward Party (FFP) in late February 2020 which was critical of Prayut, the changes to the Thai constitution in 2017, and the country's political landscape that it gave rise to.
Arnon Nampa is a Thai lawyer and activist known for his critical stance on theon the Thai monarchy, a highly controversial topic in the country. Initially celebrated as a leading human rights defender, Nampa's involvement in pro-democracy movements has led to numerous criminal charges. He became a key figure in the 2020–2021 Thai protests, advocating for unprecedented reforms to the monarchy led by non-elite groups.
Parit Chiwarak, nicknamed Penguin, is a Thai political activist, Thammasat University student at the Faculty of Political Science, and one of the leaders of the 2020 Thai protests, via the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration group. As of August 2021, he was recently imprisoned again; his bail had been revoked "after a court accepted a prosecution submission that he had broken bail conditions".
Panupong Jadnok is a social activist, Ramkhamhaeng University student, and a leading protester in the 2020 Thai protests, from the Eastern Youth Leadership group, currently facing multiple charges including sedition.
On 3 August, a Harry Potter-themed demonstration was held, openly criticised the monarchy, and demanded amendment of increasing royal prerogative and lèse majesté law. The protest, which 200 people joined, featured a public speech by Anon Nampa. Paul Chambers, Southeast Asian politics scholar, noted, "Such open criticism of Thailand’s monarch by non-elites at a public place within Thailand with the police simply standing by is the first of its kind in Thai history."
This is a description of domestic and international reactions to the 2020 Thai protests.
On 5 September, approximately 300 members of the Bad Student group protested at the Ministry of Education for their three demands, i.e., an end to government harassment, reform of outdated regulations, and reform of the entire education system, delivering an ultimatum that the Education Minister should otherwise resign. A few days later, a debate was held between the Bad Student group and Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan, where a student representative raised the issues of restriction of freedom of political expression, arbitrary and physical punishments, and failure to protect students from sexual predators. The minister agreed to some of the issues but rejected some points, such as abandoning uniforms.
On 1 November, an estimate of over 10,000 yellow-shirted royalists demonstrated their support for the King at the Grand Palace, where he had participated in a religious ceremony at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
Benja Apan is a Thai student and activist. She is one of the leaders of the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration (UFTD) group that agitated for revolutionary reforms to the monarchy on 10 August 2020. She became a prominent UFTD leader later in 2021. In the 2020–2021 Thai protests, she co-organized the German embassy in Bangkok protest in 2020 to pressure the King that resided in Germany, drawing more than 10,000 protesters. In August 2021, she led UFTD 'Car Mob' protest. She was arrested by Thong Lor police for lèse majesté following her reforms to the monarchy speech in front of Sino-Thai tower. She had been imprisoned awaiting trial for 100 days in Central Women Correctional Institution from 7 October 2021 to 14 January 2022, and she was sentenced to 6 months in prison for contempt of court along the way.
Following is a list of events and scheduled events in the year 2023 in Thailand. The year 2023 is reckoned as the year 2566 in Buddhist Era, the Thai calendar.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)