Members of the People Network for Sustainable Development yesterday went to Bangkok’s Nanglerng Police Station to protest the prohibition of their campaign against orders 3/2559 and 4/2559 issued by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). Police have claimed the protesters were political demonstrators violating NCPO orders that prohibit political gatherings.

Prasitchai Nu-nuan, an activist opposing a coal-power plant in Krabi and a member of the planning exemption protest, said the group would continue its campaign because police did not have the authority to enforce the NCPO order. According to NCPO order 3/2558, only soldiers ranking higher than second lieutenant have the authority of enforcement.

“We will not stop our campaign until the government revokes the orders. We also emphasised that we are demonstrating to protect our livelihoods and environment and it is not about a political matter,” Prasitchai said.

After notifying police that they planned to demonstrate at the United Nations office in Bangkok, the group received an order from Nanglerng police on Tuesday evening banning the demonstration. The order stated their activity constituted a protest against the law and government, which violated NCPO orders 7/2557 and 3/2558 forbidding political protest.

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The group then sent an appeal to Nanglerng Police Station superintendent Pol Colonel Sompot Suwancharas asking police to reconsider and revoke the order.

Sompot told protesters that he would pass the petition on to the metropolitan police commander for consideration. However, he insisted that the protest was political and directed against the NCPO and government, which are prohibited unless the protesters receive permission from the NCPO.

“According to the nature of their protest, it was clearly against the government, as they protested the NCPO order. Furthermore, we not only have the Public Gathering Act that controls public protests, but we still have two NCPO orders that do not allow political protest,” he said.

Sombun Klinkum, a protester from Surat Thani’s Phunphin District, said she was not afraid of the police order and insisted she would continue the campaign until the city planning exemption orders were revoked. “We are fighting for our well-being, not political ambitions. At my hometown, a new waste-to-energy plant was proposed in an area of 100 rai [16 hectares] near my community to be a dump site for waste from Samui Island,” Sombun said.

“If we do nothing, we will die from the polluting industry allowed to be constructed by these orders.”

Later yesterday, network representative Somnuek Zhongmewasin revealed that discussions with the prime minister’s representatives and Public Works and Town and Country Planning Department did not yield any clear answer whether the group could demonstrate against the two orders. “It is unclear whether we can even stay at the arranged protest area. We have been branded political protesters.”