Thai police fire rubber bullets at protesters outside PM’s residence
THAI police shot rubber bullets and used water cannons and tear gas against pro-democracy protesters in Bangkok on February 28 at a rally outside a military barracks housing the prime minister’s residence.
A youth-led protest movement calling for the resignation of Prayut Chano-cha’s government had lost steam in recent months following a second wave of coronavirus infections in Thailand.
But the recent detention of four prominent protest leaders on royal defamation charges has given it a shot in the arm.
The four are among 58 protesters facing lese majeste charges and the prospect of up to 15 years in jail per charge if convicted of insulting the monarchy.
An estimated 2,000 demonstrators marched from the major Bangkok intersection Victory Monument on February
28 to a nearby military barracks where Prayut lives.
Among the protesters were scores of migrant workers from neighbouring Myanmar rallying against the coup that ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1.
Some Thai protesters marched wearing hard hats and carried red flags.
Hundreds later pushed through shipping containers and barbed-wire barricades, leading to a confrontation with riot police guarding the entrance of the barracks.
Scuffles broke out between riot squad officers and protesters, while some demonstrators were seen pushing a police truck.
One protester at the front line told Thai media: “They are preparing everything, shields, baton, water with some chemical and rubber bullets.”
Amid the tense stand-off, officers used water-cannon trucks and let off tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowd – the first use of force, albeit non-lethal, at a Bangkok rally for several months.
Protesters shouted for water and saline as they were sprayed. Some wore raincoats while others held their bare hands in the air or raised three figures – a symbol of resistance.
Officers later shot rubber bullets, according to an AFP journalist on the ground.
“It doesn’t hurt too much,” a protester told Thai media, showing a red mark on his arm.
Some protesters threw glass bottles, rocks and bricks at officers while others took refuge inside a nearby Shell petrol station, which later closed early.
Despite protest organisers sending a social media message at around 8:30pm local time (1330 GMT) urging demonstrators to go home, scores stuck around, many on motorbikes playing a cat and mouse game with advancing police.
A doctor from the Erawan Emergency Medical Centre said 16 protesters were injured.
At least two protesters were arrested, according to a live Facebook feed, however police have not confirmed the total number.
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said 19 were arrested including a 16-year-old.
Thailand’s pro-democracy movement kicked off last July and at its peak attracted tens of thousands of mostly young people.
Among the movement’s demands are a rewrite of the army-drafted constitution and reforms to the monarchy – a taboo-smashing demand in a country where the ultra-wealthy royal family has long been untouchable.
IN THE immediate aftermath of Iran signalling its intent to bar nuclear inspections under the auspices of the UN, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has let it be known that it will retain what it calls the “necessary degree of monitoring and verification work”.
The move comes ahead of a deadline set by Iran to stop intrusive checks of sites unless US sanctions are lifted. There is considerable tension between Iran and the US ever since Washington, under Donald Trump, abandoned the nuclear deal in 2018. Trump had reimposed crippling economic sanctions to force Iran to renegotiate the accord. Predictably perhaps Tehran refused and retaliated by rolling back several key commitments.
The crisis over Iran’s nuclear programme has been on the international agenda for almost 20 years. Iran claims the programme is for peaceful purposes, while the US and others suspect the country has ambitions to develop nuclear
weapons. The suspicion has been dismissed by the establishment in Tehran. In 2015, a major agreement between
Iran and six other countries meant Iran accepted limits on its nuclear activities in return for an end to harsh penalties, or sanctions, that hurt its economy. As it turned out, Iran resumed its banned nuclear
operations after Trump pulled out of the deal and reimposed sanctions.
Even though President Joe Biden wants to rejoin the deal, both sides say the other must make the first move. The “temporary technical” arrangement reached between Iran and the IAEA “salvages the situation”, according to the IAEA chief Rafael Grossi. After a recent visit to Iran, he said: “We were able to retain the necessary degree of monitoring and verification work. There is less access [to Iranian sites], let’s face it.” According to the terms of the plan, Iran will for the next three months hold recordings from monitoring equipment installed at sites by the IAEA.
However, it will not release the information unless sanctions are lifted within that timeframe, the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) has said. If sanctions remain, the data would be erased. Cameras and other apparatus have been put in place by the IAEA to help verify that Iran does not carry out nuclear activities prohibited under the deal. A system of checks and balances has thus been put in place.
The nub of the matter must be that Iran and the US are at loggerheads over the removal of sanctions. Washington insists Tehran must return to full compliance with the 2015 deal first, while Tehran is emphatic that this will only happen once sanctions are lifted. It is, therefore, a delicate situation and for the past six years, this bilateral game has scarcely been able to stave off the crisis.
Not the least because the likes of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei are at the helm. President Hasan Rouhani is moderate by comparison. The IAEA will have to contend with the dichotomy.