Protesters rally military leaders to hold elections
BANGKOK — Several hundred government protesters rallied Saturday in the Thai capital, calling on the country’s military rulers to give up power and hold elections they promised soon after staging a coup in 2014.
The demonstration, held despite the government’s efforts to intimidate the protesters with legal charges, was one of the largest in recent years and reflected demonstrators’ renewed confidence as the ruling junta’s prestige has slipped due to corruption scandals and political sleight-of-hand.
“Stop holding on to power. Stop delaying an election,” read a sign held by one protester.
The protesters gathered near Bangkok’s Democracy Monument, a traditional venue for political activity, but were kept across the street by more than 100 policemen who kept watch on their nonviolent demonstration.
The protesters dispersed after nightfall, declaring their rally a success, and saying they planned to hold more demonstrations.
More than three dozen prodemocracy activists face criminal charges for a protest held last month, but many apparently attended Saturday’s rally.
“It is very clear that regardless of the fear tactics and intimidation and baseless charges that the junta slapped on protesters, they remain defiant and relentless in expressing their rights and their freedom peacefully,” said Sunai Pasuk, a researcher in Thailand for the New York-based group Human Right Watch. “Their campaign is very clear that they are reminding the junta of their own promises to hold an election within the end of this year and returning Thailand to democracy.”
Both Saturday’s and last month’s protests were spearheaded by students whose dedication to nonviolent tactics and fearlessness in the face of threats of jail has made them a small but persistent thorn in the side of the junta for the past few years. However, their actions have so far failed to inspire a mass following, with many Thais willing to tolerate the junta’s rule after years of disruptive and sometimes violent political struggle between supporters and opponents of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled by an earlier coup in 2006.
The military came to power with a promise to undertake political reforms to stamp out corruption. However, it has repeatedly set back plans to hold elections and restore representative democracy.