A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand

[yinyang]

Anti-government protesters regroup in downtown Bangkok
after police dispersal operation

Protesters during a rally at Ratchaprasong intersection on Oct 15, 2020. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
By Pichayada Promchertchoo@PichayadaCNA
15 Oct 2020 05:28PM(Updated: 15 Oct 2020 05:56PM)

BANGKOK: Hundreds of anti-government protesters regrouped in Bangkok’s business district of Ratchaprasong on Thursday afternoon (Oct 15), after their previous demonstration outside the Government House was dispersed by police in the early hours of the day.
Water trucks for riot control and many police vans could be seen. Protesters called for the release of their friends who were arrested by the authorities earlier in the day.

This was despite the state of emergency declared by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at 4am local time, which bans any gathering of five people or more as well as any action that would incite unrest.
Publication of news and electronic information with messages that could install fear among the public, intentionally distort facts, or cause misunderstanding that would affect the national security, or peace and order is also prohibited.

Protesters cheered and raised a three-finger salute as police reversed their trucks away from
the demonstrators at the Ratchaprasong intersection on Oct 15, 2020. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo)

“The People’s Party condemned the government’s action. We also want to maintain our stance by continuing the protest on Oct 15, 2020, at 4pm, at the Ratchaprasong intersection,” said one of the protest leaders, Jutatip Sirikhan after the police dispersal.

“To those who love democracy, come out to create change with us and overthrow dictatorship and evil feudalism.”
READ: Thailand bans protests as challenge to establishment escalates

Anti-government protesters held a major demonstration at the Democracy Monument on Wednesday to call for an end to Prayut’s administration, charter amendment and reform of the monarchy.

The demonstration was driven by a coalition of youth groups from across the country, known collectively as the People’s Party. The name is a symbolic reference to a group of revolutionaries behind Thailand’s transition from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy in 1932.
Protesters later moved to camp out outside the Government House in the evening before being dispersed by police the following morning.
READ: Thai protesters demanding reforms take to Bangkok streets, march to Government House

Ratchaprasong is a central shopping and business district of Bangkok.
According to police spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen, the gathering at Ratchaprason is considered a wrongdoing as it violates the emergency decree.
“Whoever joins the demonstration will be considered a wrongdoer,” he said in a press conference on Thursday morning.
The Metropolitan Police Bureau has deployed officers to ensure law and order in the area.
More than 20 protesters were arrested during the morning operation. They include key leaders such as Arnon Nampa, Parit Chiwarak, and Prasit Karutarote. Police later arrested another protest leader, Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, at a hotel on Khaosan Road.
Source: CNA/nh

 

[Froggy]

This is no laughing matter anymore​

 

[yinyang]

Protesters disperse but vow to return for Bangkok rally on Friday
Nation National
Oct 16. 2020

Photos by Supakit Khumkun & Wanchai Kraisornkhajit

By The Nation

Khana Ratsadon 2563 dispersed from their Bangkok rally site at 10pm on Thursday, as leaders said that they would gather again on Friday to maintain pressure on the government to resign, the House to rewrite the charter and the monarchy to reform.
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Thursday’s protest at Ratchaprasong intersection kicked off at 3.30pm with protesters forming a “human wall” to defend themselves against police empowered by newly imposed emergency rule.

The tense stand-off eased at 5pm, when protest leaders including Panupong Jadnok called for calm and emphasised the non-violent character of the protests.

The rally lasted for about six hours, without violent clashes between authorities and the participants, as protest leaders gave speeches demanding the release of dozens of activists arrested in recent days.

As rain started to fall around 9.40pm, leaders called off the protest and told everyone to return tomorrow.

 

[yinyang]

 

[bonds]

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Very beautiful and stunning Thai singer.

[and.... sexy too.]


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[yinyang]

Thai leaders have no easy options to end anti-monarchy protests

Discussing the monarchy openly has long been taboo in Thailand.PHOTO: REUTERS

• Bloomberg PUBLISHED
  6 MIN AGO

BANGKOK (BLOOMBERG) - Over the past few decades in Thailand, a crackdown or coup would eventually bring an end to street protests and life would more or less go back to normal until the next round of demonstrations.
But this time, the Thai establishment has a bigger problem: the student-led protest movement doesn't want power for itself - it wants to fundamentally change a political system that has seen about 20 military coups since 1932.
And they also aren't afraid to criticise the monarchy, the lynchpin that holds the system in place.

Discussing the monarchy openly has long been taboo in Thailand, where insulting senior members of the royal family is punishable by as many as 15 years in prison.
The new space where some feel comfortable criticising King Maha Vajiralongkorn started on social media before spreading to the streets, and the royalist establishment led by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is now struggling to shut it down.
His government this week imposed an emergency decree banning large gatherings, arrested key protest leaders and took action to stop the "disrespect" of the royal institution.

Mr Prayut, a former army chief who led a 2014 coup, said on Friday that he wouldn't resign and would lift the emergency decree ahead of its expiration in 30 days "if the situation improves".
"The country needs to have stability to deal with the economy that's been hit by the pandemic," he told reporters, adding that the protests had become "severe".
Some 51 people were arrested in demonstrations this week, according to the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

HONG KONG STYLE
Protesters turned up in large numbers in defiance of police on Thursday night (Oct 15), and have vowed to continue demonstrations.
In a letter from jail after his arrest this week, protest leader Parit Chiwarak called for continued pop-up gatherings throughout the country.
He said protesters should remain flexible and avoid staying overnight at one place - mirroring tactics used recently in Hong Kong and other parts of the world.
The government now may need to take more aggressive steps to stop them, raising fears of another deadly military crackdown similar to what Thailand saw in 1973, 1976, 1992 and 2010 - particularly as groups of royalists organise to confront the pro-democracy demonstrators.
Even if they stop the movement on the streets, authorities would still need to find some way to quash the discussion on social media and address grievances over perceived inequality, corruption and abuse of power that have fuelled support for the protests.
"Because this movement started on social media, the momentum of the movement remains there," said Dr Titipol Phakdeewanich, dean of the political science faculty at Ubon Ratchathani University in northeastern Thailand, adding that new leaders would emerge as others are arrested.
"The government's strategy could backfire and end up bringing out more people to join the movement."

SLUGGISH ECONOMY
The protests are underpinned by years of sluggish growth now exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, which has put the Thai economy on course for its worst performance ever by derailing the two main drivers: tourism and trade.
The benchmark SET Index of stocks has lost 21 per cent this year.
Those economic woes have put a bigger spotlight on the divide between rich and poor.
The World Bank said in March that the number of Thais living in poverty had climbed in recent years, while a study released last year by the Bank of Thailand's research institute found that about 36 per cent of corporate equity is concentrated in the hands of just 500 people.
King Vajiralongkorn's wealth in particular has become a source of resentment, with protesters demanding more control over royal assets that include extensive landholdings in downtown Bangkok and sizeable stakes in two of Thailand's biggest listed companies: Siam Commercial Bank Pcl and Siam Cement Pcl.
They have also increased scrutiny of public funds used to finance the King's lifestyle, this week shouting "my taxes" when giving the three-finger salute - a symbol of the demonstrations - to a passing motorcade carrying Queen Suthida Bajrasudhabimalalakshana.

'GENUINE GRIEVANCES'
Many young people in particular are joining the protests because they don't see a viable economic future and they have "genuine grievances" over how the country has been run under a Cold War-era political system that gives more power to the military, monarchy and judiciary than elected politicians, according to Dr Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.
"If you ask who is backing them, well, their grievances are backing them," he said.
"Putting an end to these grievances requires some accommodation and some concessions and some change and reform. And we're not seeing that - we're only seeing the contrary."
Although the protesters aren't backed by any specific political group, the pro-democracy camp in Parliament has condemned moves to silence them.
Pheu Thai, the largest opposition party, said in a statement on Thursday that the government should immediately lift the state of emergency and release the arrested protest leaders.
The political group linked to Mr Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, a banned opposition leader who has been among the most vocal critics of the monarchy, planned to help bail protesters out of jail.

CHARTER CHANGES
Those parties have also spearheaded attempts to rewrite the constitution, one of the main protest demands along with the resignation of Mr Prayut and a host of changes to the monarchy designed to make it more accountable to Thailand's 69 million people.
The government has said it's open to some unspecified changes in some areas of the charter, which was drafted by a military-appointed panel and helped Mr Prayut remain in power after last year's election.
But the majority coalition that backs Mr Prayut has delayed that process.
The establishment has a long history of undermining attempts to introduce reforms that would give real power to elected officials, and analysts are sceptical it's anything more than a way to delay action until the current wave of anger subsides.
"The government will probably use the promise of charter amendments and referendum - a timely affair - as a token way to bide its time and outlast the demonstrators, while in fact it makes little, if any, changes," said Dr Paul Chambers of Naresuan University's Centre of Asean Community Studies, who writes frequently about Thailand's military.

NO CONCESSIONS
Mr Prayut himself has shown no sign of resigning and has avoided directly addressing demands related to the monarchy, which include prohibiting the king from endorsing any coups and revoking restrictive lese majeste laws.
Mr Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, a secretary to the minister attached to the prime minister's office, said "Thai people couldn't put up with" the actions of the protesters, calling them "disrespectful of the monarchy".
"The monarchy is loved and respected by Thai people," he said in a statement on Thursday. "The government has to stop those actions."
Mr Prayut's administration hasn't shown any willingness to compromise and clashes are possible going forward, according to Dr Kevin Hewison, an expert in Thai politics and an emeritus professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
"The government probably thinks that if they arrest a few people, keep them in jail and crack a few heads that'd be enough," he said.
"But that's probably not the case with this group. Watching 15-year-old girls in school uniforms climbing out of the barricade to stand in front of the police - that's something I haven't seen before in Thailand."

 

[yinyang]

Thai prime minister rejects calls to resign, braces for renewed protest
Student-led protesters rallied in Bangkok for a second day on Oct 16, 2020 in defiance of a strict state of emergency.AFP
16 Oct 2020 06:37PM(AP Updated: 16 Oct 2020 06:38PM)

BANGKOK: Thailand's prime minister rejected calls for his resignation Friday (Oct 16) as his government stepped up efforts to stop student-led protesters from rallying in the capital for a second day in defiance of a strict state of emergency.
Police closed roads and put up barricades around a major Bangkok intersection where the protesters have vowed to gather again to push their cored demands, including that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha leave office, the constitution be amended and the nation's monarchy undergo reform.

Police in riot gear moved into the area, while malls in the normally busy shopping district were closing early. Nearby mass transit stations were being closed to stop crowds of protesters from getting near the area. In addition to the security measures, heavy monsoon rains threatened to keep crowd numbers lower than the thousands that gathered the night before.

READ: 'I want freedom': Thais protest despite government's ban on gatherings
The student protesters said they would simply rally just down the street at another large intersection.

Prayut's government declared a strict new state of emergency for the capital on Thursday, a day after protesters gathered in a different part of the city heckled a royal motorcade.
Such actions are unprecedented in Thailand, where those waiting for a royal motorcade regularly sit on the ground or prostrate themselves.
The state of emergency outlaws public gatherings of more than five people and bans the dissemination of news that is deemed to threaten national security. It also gives authorities broad powers, including detaining people at length without charge.

About 10,000 protesters defied the decree Thursday to rally at the Bangkok intersection.

A number of protest leaders have already been rounded up since the decree went into effect.
On Friday another two activists were arrested under a law covering violence against the queen for their alleged part in the heckling of the motorcade. They could face up to life in prison if convicted.
READ: Anti-government protesters regroup in downtown Bangkok after police dispersal operation
The protest movement was launched in March by university students and its original core demands were new elections, changes in the constitution to make it more democratic, and an end to intimidation of activists.
The protesters charge that Prayut, who as army commander led a 2014 coup that toppled an elected government, was returned to power unfairly in last year’s general election because laws had been changed to favor a pro-military party.
But the movement took a stunning turn in August, when students at a rally aired unprecedented criticism of the monarchy and issued calls for its reform.
Using direct language normally expressed in whispers if at all, the speakers criticized the king’s wealth, his influence and that he spends much of his time outside the country.
Thailand’s royal family has long been considered sacrosanct and a pillar of Thai identity. King Maha Vajiralongkorn and other key member of the royal family are protected by a lese majeste law that has regularly been used to silence critics who risk up to 15 years in prison if deemed to have insulted the institution.


Conservative royalist Thais accuse the protest movement of seeking to end the monarchy, an allegation its leaders deny.
Wednesday's incident with the royal motorcade was stunned many Thais. Videos that circulated widely showed members of a small crowd heckling a motorcade carrying Queen Suthida and Prince Dipangkorn as it slowly passed. Security personnel stood between the vehicles and the crowd and there was no visible violence and none was described by witnesses.
Prayut’s declaration of a state of emergency said the measure was necessary because “certain groups of perpetrators intended to instigate an untoward incident and movement in the Bangkok area by way of various methods and via different channels, including causing obstruction to the royal motorcade.”
Prayut said Friday that he had no plans to resign as he had done nothing wrong.
He said his government hopes it can drop the state of emergency ahead of its normal 30-day duration “if the situation improves quickly”.
The legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said at least 51 people have been arrested since Tuesday in connection with the protests.

Police on Friday went to search the offices of the Progressive Movement, a group formed by former lawmakers from a reform-minded political party that was controversially dissolved by the Constitutional Court.

READ: Thailand bans protests as challenge to establishment escalates
The two activists charged over the incident with the queen are Ekachai Hongkangwan and Paothong Bunkueanum.
Ekachai is a veteran activist who has been physically attacked several times, in apparent response to his criticism of the military. Paothong, a university student, has been involved in organising the protests.

The Wednesday incident in which the two were allegedly involved was stunning to most Thais, because by tradition and law, members of the royal family are treated with the utmost respect.
“We were not notified by the police of the upcoming royal motorcade in which we had no way of knowing because they were not informing us,” Paothong told reporters Friday.

“Once we knew that there was a motorcade of the queen and the heir presumptive to the throne I tried to break away from the line and use my megaphone to have everyone move away from the police barriers so the motorcade can pass through easily,” he said.
The Ministry of Digital Economy, meanwhile, announced it would file complaints with police covering five Twitter accounts and five Facebook accounts inviting people to attend Friday's rally.
Such posting could be deemed illegal under the state of emergency, as well as other laws.
Source: AP/aa

 

[Froggy]

Just in!

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[Froggy]

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[Froggy]

Battle line drawn!

 

[yinyang]

Dispersed now after dyed water cannon.
Another rally sat

Water cannon used on protesters
Rally breaks up but organisers vow to be back on Saturday at venue to be determined

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2003391/water-cannon-used-on-protesters

 

[Charlie99]

Battle line drawn!

Multiple rows of police officers.

 

[tobelightlight]

People want that PM to resign and that PM still want to stay in office. Maybe more people should protest in diff provinces.

 

[yinyang]

 

[yinyang]

Today's skirmishes, but stymied by trains halt

Protesters pick 3 sites as mass transit shut down
Authorities order BTS and MRT to suspend service for the day
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 17 OCT 2020 AT 17:20
UPDATED: 17 OCT 2020 AT 18:36

Demonstrators gather near the closed Lat Phrao station on Saturday afternoon. It is one of three sites chosen by protest organisers. (Photo Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)

Anti-government protesters converged on three sites in Bangkok on a rainy Saturday afternoon, in defiance of an emergency decree and despite a government-ordered shutdown of nearly all mass rail transit in the capital.

Rally participants were asked to go to the location closest to them: the Lat Phrao transit interchange, Udom Suk BTS station or the Wong Wian Yai roundabout. The locations were confirmed in a tweet sent out by United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration (UFTD) at 3.08pm.
The biggest crowd was seen at Lat Phrao, while those who went to Udom Suk subsequently set out for the Bang Na intersection where they would have more space to accommodate their growing numbers. Crowd-control police were seen arriving at Bang Na as darkness fell. At Lat Phrao, demonstrators on the front line were passing out hard hats in anticipation of a possible police action.

Momentum was also building at Wong Wiang Yai, and by nightfall it appeared that there were between 2,000 and 3,000 people at each of the three locations.

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Smaller gatherings also materialised at some other locations, including Samyan Mitrtown at Phaya Thai and Rama IV roads, and the Asok BTS station.
One place the protesters didn’t gather — but where police had devoted considerable energy to blocking off — was Victory Monument.
As well, UFTD said parallel rallies were to be held from 4pm to 6pm in 17 provinces: Ubon Thani, Nong Khai, Roi Et, Chon Buri (Pattaya), Nakhon Pathom, Phayao, Chiang Rai, Nakhon Sawan, Kalasin, Uttaradit, Trang, Udon Thani, Nakhon Ratchasima, Surin, Sakon Nakhon, Khon Kaen and Songkhla.


For many in Bangkok, getting to a protest site became difficult. All 40 stations on the BTS Skytrain system were shut down at 3pm and would remain closed until midnight, the operator announced on its Twitter account. It said the shutdown was “due to an emergency decree announced by the government”.
The 38-station MRT Blue Line was closed at 12.30pm and the closure of the Purple Line followed at 3.30. “For the safety and security of passengers, MRT Blue Line and Purple Line will be temporarily closed. We will resume the service as soon as posible when the situation returns to normal. We apologise for any inconvenience,” the operator said on its MRT Bangkok Metro Facebook page.

BTS originally said that just 14 of its stations in central Bangkok would be closed from 2:30pm onward. It said trains would still run but would not stop at the affected stations on the Sukhumvit and Silom lines. The 14 stations were Ari, Sanam Pao, Victory Monument, Phaya Thai, Ratchathewi, Siam, Chit Lom, Phloen Chit, Nana, Asok, Phrom Phong, National Stadium, Ratchadamri and Sala Daeng.

However, this was not deemed sufficient in the eyes of the police, who are seeking to make it impossible for protesters to move about and gather, even if it inconveniences hundreds of thousands of other commuters. BTS subsequently announced that it would shut its entire system.
Police also ordered the closure of all stations on the Airport Rail Link to Suvarnabhumi Airport and blocked access to Victory Monument and the Asok intersection. Both sites had been viewed as possible gathering places for demonstrators.

The moves were made in anticipation of a fourth consecutive day of protests in defiance of the emergency decree imposed this week. In social media posts earlier on Saturday, organisers asked participants to board mass-transit trains at 3pm to prepare for an activity beginning at 4pm. However, the destinations were not announced until the very last minute.

Activists are trying to stay one step ahead of the authorities, who have been making strenuous efforts to stop them. On Friday, police laid razor wire across the Ratchaprasong intersection, where a huge rally had taken place on Thursday night, in anticipation of another gathering.

The protesters adjusted quickly, shifting to the Pathumwan intersection, where police used water cannon to disperse a crowd of about 2,000.
Police on Saturday reiterated their determination to enforce the law, and defended their use of water cannon.
“The police abided by international standards to disperse the demonstration,” police spokesman Pol Maj Gen Yingyos Thepchamnong said at a news conference.

Authorities have faced heavy criticism for their response, as the demonstration at the Pathumwan intersection was peaceful.
Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri told Reuters: “There is no win or lose for any side. It’s all damage to the country. The government would like to ask protesters to not gather and remain peaceful.”



The stairs leading to the BTS Mo Chit station are sealed off as part of a government-ordered shutdown of the entire system on Saturday. (Photo: Apichit Jinakul)

 

[Froggy]

hats off to these kids::

 

[Froggy]

My late dinner tonight

 

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