Bloomberg
Thailand’s anti-government protesters, emboldened by their biggest demonstration since the 2014 military coup on September 19, called for a general strike next month as the movement challenges long-held taboos including questioning the monarchy’s powers.
Organisers of the rally handed a list of demands to a representative of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s Privy Council on Sunday, and installed a plaque on the royal grounds that read: “The country belongs to the people, not the monarchy.â€
About 50,000 people joined the gathering on a field traditionally used for royal ceremonies next to the Grand Palace, according to the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, the student-led group organising the event.
The Thammasat group called for a general strike on October 14 and urged supporters to show solidarity by not standing during the royal anthem and displaying white ribbons. They’re also calling for a boycott of Siam Commercial Bank Pcl, in which the king is the
majority shareholder.
Last month, the group listed 10 demands, including a call for revoking the country’s strict lese-majeste laws that criminalise insults of senior members of the royal family.
The demonstrators’ challenges to the monarchy confront deeply entrenched taboos in Thailand, where openly criticising the royals can lead to long jail sentences. The protesters’ other demands include a change to the constitution to allow a separation of the monarch’s properties from the Crown Property Bureau; and aligning the budget for the monarchy with economic conditions.
Over the past months, the protest movement has expanded, with various groups using digital spaces to set meetings and spread their demands in a style of organising reminiscent of the leaderless flash mobs in Hong Kong and the US. The demonstrators are also calling for changes in the constitution that would remove the military influence in politics and for a new, more democratic election.
The Thammasat group organisers plan to march to parliament on September 24 to protest the government’s proposed charter amendment that doesn’t include a reform on monarchy.
The mounting protests
present a challenge for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, a former army chief who led the 2014 coup and stayed in charge after a disputed election last year conducted under rules written by his military government. The premier has said the government was looking into possible amendment of the charter that was drafted by the junta ahead of last year’s vote.
“Our hope is to spread our message and communicate to people why we need to reform the monarchy, why we need to get rid of Prayuth’s regime,†said Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, one of the leading voices of the Thammasat group. “We want the government to realise that our movement isn’t insignificant. Don’t think that we’re just students.â€
At the weekend demonstration, people of different
ages sat on the lawns and cheered speakers’ calls for changes to the constitution and government.