Crackdown on Thai protesters
YOUTH-LED: REFORM MONARCHY; PREMIER MUST GO PM orders all sections of law to be enforced to crash demonstrations.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered security agencies yesterday to crack down on pro-democracy protesters, days after police used teargas and water cannons at a Bangkok rally.
The country has been rocked since July by youth-led protests demanding a new constitution, unprecedented calls to reform the untouchable monarchy and for Prayut to resign.
Clashes outside parliament on Tuesday between pro-democracy protesters and hardline royalists marked a steep rise in violence, with six people shot.
A day later, about 20 000 people massed in Bangkok’s main shopping district and protesters daubed antiroyal graffiti outside the Thai national police headquarters.
Prayut, who seized power in a 2014 coup, issued a statement yesterday warning protesters will be hit with the full force of the law.
“The situation is still not resolved in any good direction and is likely to develop into more confl ict leading to more violence,” he said. “If this is left... it may damage the nation and the most beloved institution,” he added, referring to the monarchy.
He said security agencies need to “intensify their practices” and enforce all sections of all laws.
This could mean more charges under the country’s harsh royal defamation laws, which are routinely interpreted to include any criticism of any aspect of the monarchy – including content posted or shared on social media. –