Thailand: hundreds stage largest protest since start of military rule
Over a thousand people have gathered in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand to protest against the building of a government luxury housing project on forested land, police have said.
The gathering on Sunday was one of the largest since Thailand’s junta took power following a 2014 coup. The junta imposed a ban on public gatherings of over five people and has largely curbed freedom of expression through various orders and used military and police forces to block public gatherings.
Aerial images of the housing project for judges, circulated on social media during the past few months, showed construction has carved into the forested foothills of Chiang Mai’s Doi Suthep mountain, inciting public anger.
The police estimated over a thousand people took part in the protest, which they said proceeded in an orderly fashion. “Around 1,250 people took part in the protest,” said Col Paisan, deputy commander of Chiang Mai police.
“The protesters were focused on environmental issues and not politics, and they cleaned the street afterwards,” Paisan said. He said the organisers made a proper request for the gathering beforehand and so the protest was allowed to proceed.
Protesters, many wearing green ribbons, demanded the government demolish the new buildings that encroach into Doi Suthep mountain, saying the government must comply in seven days or face more protests.
Public officials have defended the project, pointing out construction was legal and on state-owned land that does not encroach into the national park covering the mountain.
Officials also said protesters could face legal action if the housing was demolished and that the homes should be used for 10 years before the public could reassess any environmental impact.
Construction started in 2015 and has faced opposition from local environmental groups who regard the mountain as sacred for Chiang Mai and as a “natural lung” for the north’s largest city.