Protesters back on streets of Thailand despite police ban

H UNDREDSof anti- government protesters have demonstrated against Prime Minister Prayuth Chan- ocha and the powerful monarchy in Bangkok yesterday , defying once again a ban on protests.

Demonstrations have persisted despite the arrest of dozens of protesters and their leaders, the use of water cannon and shutdowns on much of Bangkok’s metro rail system in a bid to quell over three months of street action.

Protesters moved quickly from point to point, posting different sites for possible demonstrations on social media.

“We will stay until it’s over or move to another location with other activists,” said Dee, 25, one of several dozen protesters at Asok, one of the busiest interchanges in Bangkok.

Hundreds gathered at the Victory Monument, nearly five kilometres away.

Protesters at Asok put up handwritten notices on the shuttered station that read “Does licking the boots of the dictator taste good?”

A few police officials gathered on the other side of the interchange but did not immediately intervene.

“We are committed to maintaining peace and order . In order to do so we are bound by laws, international standards and human rights,” police spokesman Kissana Phathanacharoen told a news conference.

Protesters say Prayuth engineered last year’s election to keep the power he seized in a 2014 coup – an accusation he denies.

The demonstrations have also become more openly critical of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s monarchy, breaking a long- standing taboo, demanding curbs to its powers despite potential jail terms of up 15 years for anyone insulting the king.