Thai pro-democracy protesters confronted by riot police and water canon outside Bangkok’s Grand Palace

THAILAND-POLITICS
Riot police assemble outside Bangkok’s Grand Palace which was the scene of a major pro-democracy demonstration on Sunday
AFP via Getty Images
Michael Howie8 November 2020

Thai pro-democracy protesters were confronted by riot police and water canons on Sunday as they tried to approach Bangkok's Grand Palace to deliver letters about their political grievances addressed to the country's king.

The protesters had pushed aside a bus that was serving as a barrier to try to get closer to the palace, which houses the royal offices.

They had met earlier at Bangkok's Democracy Monument and marched as darkness fell, pushing past an initial thin line of police.

Police deployed the water canons for a short time and it was not clear if anyone was hurt in the chaos.

Thailand's pro-democracy movement has been pushing a bold challenge to reform the monarchy with almost daily demonstrations.

Sunday marked the second time water that water cannons have been used against them during several months of demonstrations.

Protesters remove barbed wire defences as police turn water canon on them
AP

The student-led movement, which over several months has seized the political initiative, has put enough pressure on the government of prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to call for Parliament to deal with at least some of their demands. 

They are seeking Mr Prayuth's resignation, changes to the constitution to make it more democratic and reforms to the monarchy to make it more accountable.

The protesters believe Mr Prayuth lacks legitimacy because he came to power after an election last year whose rules were set up under military rule.

Mr Prayuth, as army chief in 2014, led a coup ousting an elected government and then headed the junta that ran the country until last year's polls.

A new constitution was put into effect by the junta that the protesters also consider illegitimate and anti-democratic. 

The third demand, calling for reform of the monarchy, is the most controversial. The monarchy has traditionally been an untouchable institution, regarded by most Thais as the heart and soul of the nation. A lese majeste law mandates a prison term of up to 15 years for anyone who defames the king or his close family.

THAILAND-POLITICS
Pro-democracy protester talks to a police man during an anti-government demonstration in Bangkok
AFP via Getty Images

Until the protesters raised the issue, public criticism of the royal institution was virtually unknown.

While the protesters have increasingly put the monarchy issue front and centre, they have received serious pushback. Even the main opposition party, otherwise sympathetic to their other points, has said it does not want to amend laws covering the monarchy, and royalists have started holding counter-demonstrations.

Parliament has agreed to debate amending the constitution and political leaders are discussing setting up a reconciliation committee, an effort that so far has been rejected by the protesters.

But Mr Prayuth has insisted he will not step down, and any effort to reform the monarchy seems to be a dead end, leaving the situation deadlocked.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in