Ugly showdown

[reader]

From Bangkok Post

Demonstrators react to tear gas during a clash with police in Bangkok's Din Daeng area on Saturday. (Photo by Wichan Charoenkiartpakun)

Police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon on anti-government protesters on Saturday, the culmination of a running battle in which demonstrators were forced to change their destination three times.

Redem demonstrators had arranged originally to meet at Democracy Monument at 2pm on Saturday, with a plan to march to the Grand Palace.

Redem (Restart Democracy) has no official leaders but still has guards. Created by the Free Youth group in February, it can consist of different pro-democracy groups that share common goals at any given time.

The group on Saturday was looking to push three demands — Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha must unconditionally resign as prime minister, the budgets for the palace and armed forces must be cut and allocated to Covid-19 relief efforts, and the "tycoon" Covid-19 vaccine must be changed to the mRNA type.

A few hundred people arrived at Democracy Monument around noon. Police closed the area to traffic at 12.20pm and told them to disperse. In front of the Grand Palace nearby, the usual wall of containers was seen, fortified this time with decommissioned tanker cars obtained from the State Railway of Thailand.

At 1pm, police started clearing the area. Rubber bullets were reportedly used and at least two people were arrested.

The demonstrators were pushed back to the Phan Fa Bridge. Some threw firecrackers and fired catapults at the police.

Free Youth then posted on Facebook that the destination was being changed to Government House. As container walls were also set up there, a loudspeaker truck announced another change of destination to Victory Monument, with a planned march to the 11th Infantry Regiment, where Prime Minister Prayut resides.

As the demonstrators arrived at Victory Monument and were heading for Vibhavadi Road, which leads to the army base, police blocked traffic using stacked containers and barbed wire, with crowd control police lining up behind the barriers.

Police told them to go back to Victory Monument. 

As some of the protesters tried to remove the containers, several tear gas canisters were fired at them at Din Daeng intersection at 3.30pm.

Police said they would use rubber bullets if the protesters still tried to move forward.

At 5.30pm, police pushed them further back to Victory Monument using water cannon. Video taken at the scene also showed tear gas and muzzle flashes — possibly from firing of rubber bullets — being used by officers positioned on the skywalk overlooking the roundabout.

Free Youth called off the rally around 5.30 but sporadic clashes were continuing into the evening between small groups of protesters and police. The Victory Monument BTS station was temporarily closed as the police operation continued.

Dozens of protesters were seen being carried away on motorcycles and in ambulances. The Erawan Emergency Medical Centre said at least two civilians and three officers had been injured.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2161607/police-crack-down-on-protesters

[Londoner]

Eminently sensible demands, in my opinion and consequently doomed to be ignored. Poor Thailand. Still, good to see that the young are still struggling for justice.

[Guest]

If anything, their demands are rather modest, considering the performance of the institutions concerned.       

[ggobkk]

Several arrested.  Another demo seems to be i the offing.  

[reader]

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse another anti-government protest in Bangkok on Wednesday. Bangkok Post photographers captured the scenes. (Photos by Nutthawat Wicheanbut, Arnun Chonmahatrakool, Wichan Charoenkiatpakul & Pornprom Satrabhaya)

Additional photos at

https://www.bangkokpost.com/photo/2163835/police-fire-tear-gas-rubber-bullets-at-victory-monument-protest

[Vessey]

There were some disturbing video clips circulating showing this last police action and the extreme violence they met out to any hapless 'protestor' they encountered.

Dark days for Thailand I fear.  

[reader]

From Bangkok Post

Motorists occupy Ratchaprasong intersection, one of the starting points for road rallies to oust Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha,on Sunday. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)

'Car mob' rallies rev up to drive out Prayut

The country's largest "car mob" rallies to date geared up on roads in Bangkok and other provinces on Sunday to put pressure on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign after seven years in power.

Motorists took their vehicles to Bangkok roads in a three-pronged campaign organised by red-shirt leader Nattawut Saikuar and activist Sombat Boonngam-anong.

The Tha Lu Fah movement, whose recent protests in the capital ended with clashes with riot police, on Saturday decided to join the demonstrations.

Mr Nattawut, backed by protesters and members of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, led a convoy at Ratchaprasong intersection. Mr Sombat headed another parade from Ayutthaya to Lat Phrao intersection. Tha Lu Fah assembled at Democracy Monument.

Before his rally set off from Ratchaprasong, the red-shirt leader stated that protesters would avoid confrontations with police and stay away from politically sensitive places, including Government House and the prime minister's residence.

The rallies would reach their climax at 6pm, when drivers would honk throughout the national anthem to warn Gen Prayut that he had no choice but to resign.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/2165607/car-mob-rallies-rev-up-to-drive-out-prayut

 

[reader]

From Thai Enquirer

Police deny using live rounds against protestors

The police said Tuesday they did not use live rounds during the previous day’s protests.

“I insisted that the crowd control police only used non-lethal weapons,” said Police Lieutenant General Pakkapong Pongpetra, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau.

“No live rounds were used, but the protesters had weapons that could harm the police.”

“Live rounds have been used but we do not know who used them,” he added. “Police officers were injured and vehicles were shot at while steel balls, nuts and ping-pong bombs were also used.”

The protest by the Thalu-Fah group started off peacefully at Victory Monument before the march to the Government House around 5 pm. The protest was then called off around 6 pm after the police fired tear gas and water cannons at protestors who were trying to remove their barriers.

However, some protesters refused to go home, leading to a violent confrontation with the police at Sam Liam Din Daeng Junction and then at Din Daeng Police Station.

Pakkapong said three people were injured from unknown weapons during the protest. One of them, around 20 years olds, has a wound on his neck and there is a piece of metal lodged in his body, he added.

Rajavithi Hospital said on Tuesday that the patient came in with a gunshot wound on the left side of his neck, and a bullet is now lodged in his brain stem. They have not been able to identify him because he did not have ID.

The hospital said he was not breathing when he was brought in around 10 pm on Monday. It took them six minutes to resuscitate him and he is now in a coma.

The police said the initial investigation shows that the injured person was running from the Princeton Bangkok Hotel and was passing the front of the Din Daeng Police Station before he fell to the ground 50 metres from the station.

https://www.thaienquirer.com/31385/police-deny-using-live-rounds-against-protestors/

[reader]

From Pattaya News

Five officials injured, protesters arrested during hours-long confrontation

Five police officers were reportedly injured during an hours-long intense confrontation between crowd control police and hardline young protesters in Bangkok yesterday evening, August 22nd, the Deputy Commissioner of Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) reported.

Police Major General Piya Tawichai of the MPB gave a summary of the recent gathering in the capital in which the Thalu Fah pro-democracy demonstrators had staged a gathering in front of the United Nations on Ratchadamnoen Road at 2:00 PM. The gathering peacefully went for about two hours before calling off at around 4:10 PM.

Later, a group of teenagers riding motorcycles arrived at Vibhavadi Rangsit Road near the Sam Liam Din Daeng junction at around 4:50 P.M. Though the police had warned the protesters to disperse as they were violating the Emergency Decree, the group reportedly threw giant firecrackers, ping-pong bombs, and pipe bombs at the police.

Some objects were also being thrown into the Royal Thai Army Band Department and Veterans General Hospital, according to the Deputy Commissioner. The riot police then had to approach the group of protesters to maintain peace and order.

The protesters’ resistance led to the use of rubber bullets and water cannons during the confrontation that lasted for more than four hours. However, they continued to fight back by throwing more handmade explosions, injuring 5 police officers.

A number of protesters were arrested from yesterday’s gathering and were taken to Din Daeng police station for legal proceedings, Piya added.

Additionally, another Thalu Fah gathering for the eighth consecutive day is scheduled from 3:00 PM. onwards under the Sports Day theme. According to the organizers, they will be marching from the Kok Woa intersection and will hold the activities at the Democracy Monument.

https://thepattayanews.com/2021/08/22/five-officials-injured-protesters-arrested-during-hours-long-confrontation-at-din-daeng-junction-yesterday-evening/

 

[Londoner]

".....hardline young protesters...?" I'd have thought that the Thai elite were the the "hardline" party in this conflict, bearing in mind its refusal to respond appropriately to demands for democracy and human rights.

[reader]

From Zee News

Protesters threaten nationwide march while opposition grills PM over COVID-19 crisis

The political opposition accuses the former army chief and five of his cabinet ministers, including deputy prime minister and health minister Anutin Charnvirakul, of corruption, economic mismanagement and of bungling the coronavirus response.

Thai lawmakers began a censure debate against Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Tuesday (August 31), as opponents threatened to intensify street protests fueled by frustration at his government`s handling of a COVID-19 crisis.

The political opposition accuses the former army chief and five of his cabinet ministers, including deputy prime minister and health minister Anutin Charnvirakul, of corruption, economic mismanagement and of bungling the coronavirus response.

Prayuth has weathered two previous censure motions and is expected to survive a no-confidence vote scheduled for Saturday, owing to his coalition`s clear parliamentary majority.

But the motion is unlikely to appease the youth-led anti-government groups that sought Prayuth`s removal last year and have returned with renewed support from Thais angered by lockdowns, record COVID-19 deaths and a haphazard vaccine rollout.

Demonstrators have threatened nationwide protests while the opposition grills Prayuth in parliament.

"Every seven minutes a Thai person died because of the blundered management of the COVID-19 situation," opposition leader Sompong Amornwiwat of the Pheu Thai Party said in opening the debate.

"There are economic losses of 8 billion baht ($247.60 million) per day from a lack of management and lockdown measures that have failed."
Prayuth told parliament the government was always working for public interest.

The protests against him, which are outlawed under coronavirus restrictions, have gathered steam in recent weeks, despite frequent, at times violent clashes with police who have responded with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon.

https://zeenews.india.com/world/protesters-threaten-nationwide-march-while-opposition-grills-thailand-pm-over-covid-19-crisis-2390087.html

 

[reader]

From Thai Enquirer

Major protest called for Friday

Thousands of people gathered in downtown Bangkok on Thursday night to protest the government of General Prayut Chan-ocha.

Thai student groups and pro-democracy redshirt groups are calling for a protest Friday in Bangkok to oppose the government of General Prayut Chan-ocha and to highlight the government’s mismanagement of the Covid-19 situation.

Several protests have taken place over the last week including one attended by thousands on Thursday evening. The various protest groups have rallied together to demand the ouster of one-time coup leader and current Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha.

Another major rallied has been called for on Friday in Bangkok’s old town with rally goers expected to arrive by 4pm.

https://www.thaienquirer.com/32160/major-protest-called-for-friday-in-bangkok-against-prayut-government/

[reader]

Car mob rallies against tanks, troops and Prayut

From Bangkok Post

Cars and motorcyles kick off an anti-coup and anti-government rally at Asoke intersetion on Sunday. (Photo: Apichit Jinakul)

More than 1,000 cars, motorcycles and other vehicles set off from Asoke intersection in heavy rain, the beginning of a "car mob" rally set to wind through the streets of the capital in another bid to oust Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

The demonstration was held in conjunction with the 15th anniversary of the Sept 19, 2006 coup that ousted then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. That was followed by the May 22, 2014 coup that marked the beginning of Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha's long premiership.

The two coups were closely connected, red-shirt leader Nattawut Saikuar said before the rally kick-off. "The 2014 coup was staged to show that the one in 2006 was not a waste of effort (by the army)," he said.

Red-shirt activist Sombat Boonngam-anong said the armed forces justified military coups as a way to resolve political conflicts, but in reality military intervention was used to open the doors for generals to enter politics.

A long procession of about 500 cars and more than 1,000 motorcycles began the political convoy set to head over the Krungthep Bridge to Thon Buri and then recross the Chao Phraya river to end at Democracy Monument.

The rally kicked off with a piece of dramatic symbolism. Mr Nattawut, who donned a taxi uniform, rammed a taxi into a cardboard mockup of a tank while demonstrators chanted for Gen Prayut's ouster. The stunt was a reminder of taxi driver Nuamthong Praiwan, who spray painted his vehicle with an anti-coup message and smashed into an army tank on Sept 30, 2006 to show his opposition to the coup.

The rally kicked off with a piece of dramatic symbolism. Mr Nattawut, who donned a taxi uniform, rammed a taxi into a cardboard mockup of a tank while demonstrators chanted for Gen Prayut's ouster. The stunt was a reminder of taxi driver Nuamthong Praiwan, who spray painted his vehicle with an anti-coup message and smashed into an army tank on Sept 30, 2006 to show his opposition to the coup.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/2184319/car-mob-rallies-against-tanks-troops-and-prayut

[reader]

From Thai Enquirer

Officer in critical condition after being shot in the head during clashes with protesters

A crowd control police officer is in a critical situation after being shot in the head by unknown assailants at Din Daeng intersection, a senior police officer told Thai Enquirer on Thursday.

Din Daeng has been the site of frequent clashes between police and pro-democracy demonstrators.

The clashes began earlier this year when pro-democracy demonstrators tried to march from the nearby Victory Monument to the prime minister’s residence located near Din Daeng. Since then ongoing street battles have occurred nightly in the area.

The use of live rounds marks an increasing escalation in the area and has prompted concerns from protest leaders and the government.

“The officer was found shot in the head and was taken to Police General Hospital last night,” Police General Krisana Pattanacharoen, the deputy spokesman of the Royal Thai Police, told Thai Enquirer over a phone on Thursday. “He’s in a critical condition, and needs to stay in the ICU for a period of time under close medical care.”

“After sending the injured officer to the hospital, the crowd control police enforced the law to control the situation in the area,” he said. “16 protestors were arrested and confiscated of weapons including ping pong bombs and firecrackers.”

https://www.thaienquirer.com/33702/officer-in-critical-condition-after-being-shot-in-the-head-during-clashes-with-protesters/