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Nation Live Coverage: The October 14 Protest

PoliticsOct 14. 2020

By The Nation

# 5pm: Protest leaders say negotiations can always solve problems, as they thank the police for understanding them. Women come forward to lead the crowds as a sign of empowerment and say they will deliver flowers to the authorities.

Protesters plan to stay overnight, though police say it is strictly prohibited.

# 4.30pm: Protest leaders make no progress in negotiations with police, as other protesters begin removing the barriers to get closer to Government House. Protest leaders, namely Arnon Nampa and Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, try to calm the crowd to ensure peace.

The leaders then announce that police have relented and will let them approach Government House. Protesters are asked to wait until the path is cleared.

# 3.50pm: Protesters approach Nang Loeng Police Station where large buses had been parked to block their path. Some protesters shake the buses out of frustration as leaders step up to negotiate with police. Members of the protest are also told to maintain a distance from the authorities.

# 3.30pm: Protesters manage to cross Thewakam Bridge and police officers are stationed at the gates of Government House . Protesters are warned to maintain peace. 

Staff and reporters are told to leave Government House to make way for protesters at 3.00pm, while protest leaders negotiate with police to let them pass.

# 2.30pm: Protesters tried to avoid checkpoints and barriers by taking the Nakhon Sawan Road to Government House, but were blocked by yellow-clad royalists and police.

# 2pm: Protesters have been removing potted plants placed near the Democracy Monument to make space for the rally.

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# 1pm: Fights almost broke out as protesters tried to remove plants around Democracy Monument to make space and were stopped by the yellow-clad royalists.

Police then intervened and allowed the protesters to place the plants on the footpath before returning to their area.

News reports say civil servants dressed in yellow have been brought to the area to welcome a royal motorcade later in the day.

# 11am: Police have put up metal barriers across Rajdamnoen Road to block protesters from marching to Government House.

# 10am: The atmosphere was peaceful  until half an hour later, when police tightened their circle around the protesters, giving them little space to move, which resulted in conflicts.

Police are reportedly getting ready to use water cannons to control the crowds and will be collecting footage from surveillance cameras as evidence against the protesters.

Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of the now-defunct Future Forward Party, tried to negotiate with the police over claims that the protesters were violating several laws.

Meanwhile, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration buses brought people dressed in the royalist colour of yellow.

The Phra Buddha Isara Facebook page said these people were part of a yellow-shirt group led by Phra Buddha and had been reportedly recruited by the police.

However, the post generated criticism among pro-democratic netizens, who also slammed the city administration of starting a new movement.

Meanwhile, one of the yellow-shirts was seen raising a three-finger salute, making people wonder if the group had been brought in to join the protest.

Separately, at least three separate groups have shown up at or near the Democracy Monument to show their support.

As many as 10,000 police officers have been deployed to control the situation at the protest site at 11am, while lawyers have said that police should seek arrest warrants from the court before making arrests.

Relate story: 14,000 police officers keep hawk’s eye on student rally

# 8am: Student protest commences as pro-royalists gather in area.

A mega political rally on Wednesday went ahead at 8am, instead of 2pm as earlier planned, with fears of a face-off between pro-royalists and student protesters.

Protesters from across the nation were gathering at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument on Wednesday morning. Around 10.30am, the protesters reportedly sprayed the words “Long live democracy” on Ratchadamoen Road.

At 8.40am, protest leader Anon Numpa cautioned protesters that police could step in to make arrests, as they did on Tuesday. He asked the rallyists to gather peacefully and advised them to immediately inform guards if they noticed or suspected anyone trying to instigate violence that would discredit the pro-democracy camp. 

Pro-royalists and police were also assembling at the spot and nearby areas. However, no clash has been reported so far.

The pro-royalist groups are being led by Warong Dechgitvigrom, Sontiyan Chuenreuthainaidhama, Suthep Thaugsuban, Rienthong Nanna and Phra Phuttha Issara.

Some observers interpreted their presence to saving or consolidating a route on which His Majesty the King’s motorcade will drive through today.

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21 arrested rallyists to appear at courts this afternoon

PoliticsOct 14. 2020

By THE NATION

Twenty-one political protesters who were arrested on Tuesday, including the prominent Jatuphat “Pai Dao Din” Boonpattararaksa, will be taken to the courts on Wednesday afternoon.

Jatupat will be sent to the Criminal Court in Bangkok’s Ratchada area, while 19 will go before the Dusit Kwang Court, and one protester, aged 17, will make an appearance at the Central Juvenile and Family Court.

Several charges were filed against them, including illegal gathering, violation of official orders, blocking traffic and public movement, using amplifiers without permission, and vandalism.

The 21 participated in a small rally at Democracy Monument ahead of the main event on Wednesday.

Jatuphat had led protesters from his home province of Khon Kaen to Bangkok’s Ratchadamoen Road, where a Royal motorcade was scheduled to pass later in the day.

Protesters said police used the upcoming motorcade to justify the arrests.

All detainees were placed behind bars at the Border Patrol Police Region 1 headquarters in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok.

According to The Reporters Facebook page early on Wednesday morning, Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat, together with two other MPs, Bencha Saengchantra and Tanwarin Sukkhapisit, asked police to grant bail to the protesters.

Pita said all protesters were safe at the police headquarters.

A few were arrested “without any logical reasons”, he added.

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Cabinet executive chief ‘has not seen’ any documents on new BACC president

PoliticsOct 14. 2020

Teerapong Wongsiwawilas

By THE NATION

Cabinet executive secretary-general Teerapong Wongsiwawilas said he has not seen any documents relating to the appointment of a new Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BACC) president or a new Working Capital Policy Committee

He explained this was the reason why the two issues were not considered by the Cabinet on Monday. Also, he said maybe the documents were being scrutinised before being sent to the Cabinet secretariat.

Regarding the new BACC president, Teerapong said previous president Apirom Sukprasert’s tenure ended on October 8.

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Arrest of 21 pro-democracy rallyists unlawful: lawyer association

PoliticsOct 14. 2020

By THE NATION

The arrest of 21 pro-democracy protesters from the Khana Ratsadon E-san Group (People’s Party from the Northeastern Region) on Tuesday evening is unlawful, the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights Centre said on Wednesday.

Prominent activist Jatupat “Pai Dao Din” Boonpattararaksa was arrested along with 20 other protesters, who participated in small rally at Democracy Monument ahead of the main rally scheduled for Wednesday, October 14.

Jatupat had led protesters from his home province of Khon Kaen to Ratchadamoen Road, where a Royal motorcade was scheduled to pass later in the day. Rallyists said police used the upcoming motorcade to justify the arrests.

“There are three main reasons why the arrest is unlawful,” said the association. “The first is it did not follow Public Assembly Act procedures. If the police decide to end public assembly they should first notify the protesters to stop their activities. Only when the protesters do not comply should officials proceed by requesting a court order to force them out of the area within a time limit. Police can only arrest the remaining protesters who fail to leave the area within the time frame announced by the court,” it said.

“The second reason is that the arrested protesters were not taken to a police station in the district where the protest took place to be notified of their charges,” the association said. “Instead, they were taken to Border Patrol Police Region 1 headquarters in Khlong Luang district, Pathum Thani, which is not a police station and not a workplace of investigation officers.

“The last reason is that those arrested were refused permission to consult with their lawyers from 5.45pm until 9pm,” the association pointed out.

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Provincial organisation elections to be held nationwide on Dec 20

PoliticsOct 13. 2020

By THE NATION

Election of chief executives and members of the Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) nationwide would be held on Sunday December 20, the Election Commission (EC) announced on Monday.

The EC also announced that on October 26, it would officially announce the schedules and locations of PAO elections nationwide, while candidate applications would be received from November 2-6.

The Cabinet’s previous approval of PAO elections for 380 posts is the first step in restoring voters’ control over almost 100,000 posts that were suspended six years ago after the coup in 2014.

In the absence of local elections, tenures of PAO posts expired in 2018 and left 98,940 local politicians and administrators frozen in place.

The size of PAOs will be limited to 24 members per 500,000 residents — 30 per 1 million residents, 36 per 1.5 million residents, 42 per 2 million residents and 48 if the number of provincial residents exceeds 2 million.

Nakhon Ratchasima’s PAO will be the largest with 48 members, followed by Khon Kaen, Chonburi, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Buriram, Udon Thani and Ubon Ratchathani provinces at 42.

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Red-shirt leaders insist they will join Oct 14 protest, observers think otherwise

PoliticsOct 12. 2020Thida Thawornseth 

By THE NATION

Prominent red-shirt leader Thida Thawornseth announced on the Facebook page of United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) on Sunday that the red-shirt movement will join student activists in their fight for democracy.

She said she had discussed the plan with former red-shirt leader Natthawut Sai-kuer, and both agreed that the fight for democracy should continue. 

“The red-shirts have been fighting for democracy for more than 10 years and this battle should continue,” she added.

She also said that she agrees with the younger generation’s demands, as well as their motto that “problems should end in our generation”. 

Thida said both supporters and opposers of the young protesters should study their demands and be positive, because they want a better future which the older generation has failed to provide.

Thida also said she expects the October 14 protest to open a new era of democracy, which will bring several improvements to the country and at the same time “pull it out of hell”. 

Many red-shirt groups have announced on Facebook that they will join the student-led rally at Democracy Monument on Wednesday.

However, many observers believe the red shirts will not show up in huge numbers now that Khunying Potjaman Na Pombejra was granted audience by His Majesty the King during which she donated an ambulance to Siriraj Hospital. They believe former PM Thaksin Shinawatra’s ex-wife being granted Royal audience reflects Thaksin’s strong links with the King, which will stop red shirts from joining the student protesters who have issued a 10-point manifesto on reforming the monarchy.

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Prominent environmentalist adds to calls for govt to step down

PoliticsOct 12. 2020

By THE NATION

Prominent environmentalist Prasitchai Noonual called for the government to step down at a pro-democracy seminar for southerners on Sunday.

The veteran academic joined other South-based activists in lending their support to swelling student-led protests by voicing four demands. Prasitchai called for the resignation of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and the dissolution of Parliament, the drafting of a new Constitution, the deadline for this Constitution to be announced before Parliament is dissolved, and an election immediately after a referendum on the draft Constitution.

Titled “Talking about the Future and the Constitution”, the seminar was organised by pro-democracy groups including the Progressive Movement, iLaw, and Nakhon Si Thammarat for Democracy.

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Protesters vow peaceful, three-finger salute when royal procession passes by on Oct 14

PoliticsOct 11. 2020Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters gather at Sanam Luang in Bangkok on September 19. 

By The Nation

Pro-democracy protesters will not block a royal procession through the area during the October 14 rally, one of the pro-democracy groups organising the demonstration has assured.

 Free Youth, a pro-democracy group, posted on its Facebook page that they would not block the royal motorcade during the rally on October 14, but would instead make way with a three-finger salute in order to enunciate their demand for reform of the monarchy.

Pro-democracy protesters have long used the three-finger salute as a gesture of protest against dictatorship.

The protesters plan to hold a mega-rally at Democracy Movement at Rajdamnoen Road in Bangkok on October 14.

Free Youth argued that they had already announced in advance about the rally, in response to critics who said the protesters should not hold a rally on a day when the King’s motorcade was scheduled to travel on that route.

He said they were willing to share the road with others and warned local media against misinterpreting their intention and inciting hatred against protesters.

They suggested that police reroute the royal motorcade in order to avoid any unexpected incident which might be carried out by a third party with ulterior motives while they have pledged a peaceful political gathering.

Arnon Nampa, a prominent human rights lawyer and one of the protest leaders, said that pro-democracy protesters would take the opportunity to make the case for a reform of the monarchy directly to His Majesty the King when the royal motorcade passes the rally site that day. Protesters would stand up and show a three-finger salute, he said on Saturday night during a brief speech at a pro-democracy rally in Nakhon Ratchasima province.

Protesters will also march to Government House to demand the resignation of the Prayut Chan-o-cha administration.

The protesters may stay for many days at Government House before moving to  Parliament when it opens in order to pressure senators and MPs to start the Constitution rewriting process.

A huge number of protesters are expected on October 14 to mark the first uprising against dictatorship in 1973, and to intensify this year’s protests against the government. 

Youth-led protesters are demanding a rewriting of the Constitution, resignation of the Prayut government and dissolution of Parliament, as well as reforms to the monarchy.

Meanwhile, Abhisit Vejjajiva, a former leader of the Democrat Party, said that the government should listen to the demands of the pro-democracy movement. Young people have voiced their own demands, and the government cannot suppress their voices, he warned.

Youth-led protesters have intensified their protest against the establishment after Parliament delayed a rewriting of the Constitution. Many small-scale protests have been held in many provinces in the run-up to the planned mega-rally on October 14.

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Progressive Movement to field 32 candidates in upcoming PAO elections

PoliticsOct 09. 2020

By THE NATION

Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, former leader of the now-defunct Future Forward Party and co-founder of its incarnation Progressive Movement, told the press on Friday that the movement will field 32 candidates in the upcoming provincial elections.

The Election Commission (EC) announced on Thursday that it will start preparing for the election of Provincial Administrative Office (PAO) chief executives from October 28, and plans to hold the polls either on December 13 or 20.

“Local elections bear importance to the country’s politics because we are essentially selecting representatives to manage a budget of over Bt800 billion under the 2021 Local Administration Act. These chief executives will work even more closely with local communities than members of Parliament have ever done,” he said.

“PAOs have been widely slammed for failing to serve people’s needs, while officials have been accused of corruption in relation to several public projects in provinces like Bueng Kan, Phang Nga, Buri Ram and Samut Prakan.

“The Progressive Movement vows to change this and ensure local politicians only serve the people,” he added.

Thanathorn added that Progressive Movement candidates will work on the five core principles of the now-defunct Future Forward Party, namely commitment to democratic values; using policies, not money, to win votes; candidates must in no way be involved in the trafficking of drugs or humans; no sign of corruption; and commitment to ending the central government system through reform.

“The last PAO election was in 2012, with only 54 per cent of eligible voters exercising their rights,” Thanathorn said. “I invite Thai people to focus on these upcoming elections to choose the persons who will be responsible for managing the taxes you have paid. There’s no better time than now to start changing the country for the better by starting with your own community.”

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Twitter takes on the Army, bans over 900 accounts

PoliticsOct 09. 2020

By The Nation

Twitter bans 926 accounts believed to be linked to the Royal Thai Army, and has also suspended many accounts linked to the governments of Russia, Iran, Cuba and Saudi Arabia.

A statement on twitter.com said it has permanently suspended 1,594 accounts associated to the five networks for various violations of policies. 

The data uncovered has been shared with Stanford Internet Observatory for independent investigation and analysis, it said. 

The statement said Twitter uncovered a network of accounts linked to the Royal Thai Army for falsely “amplifying” pro-Army and pro-government content as well as engaging in behaviour targeting prominent political opposition figures.

The platform said these accounts have been banned and it will continue to take steps against activities related to the Army. 

Twitter also said it has suspended accounts in Iran for artificially expanding conversations on politically sensitive topics such as the Black Lives Matter campaign, murder of George Floyd and other issues of racial and social justice in the US. 

In Saudi Arabia, 33 Twitter accounts have permanently removed because they were created to impersonate key Qatari political figures and advanced narratives about Qatari politic, which would have been favourable to Saudi authorities. 

In Cuba, 526 fake accounts run by youth organisations with ties to the Cuban government have been permanently deleted. 

Meanwhile in Russia, five accounts that were being monitored since the beginning of last month have been removed. These accounts were found to be linked with a fake news agency called PeaceData. 

The social-media giant said this crackdown was in line with its policy to protect the integrity of public conversation and hold state power to account. 

More information can be found at @TwitterSafety.