Bangkok, Oct 15 (AFP/APP):The Thai government declared a state of emergency banning gatherings of more than four people and outlawing online posts deemed a threat to national security on Thursday in a move to end simmering pro-democracy protests.
The order was aimed at stamping out the “unconstitutional” protests and came after demonstrators demanding the prime minister’s resignation rallied outside his office in Bangkok overnight and scuffled with royalists opposed to the youth-led movement’s calls for reforms to the monarchy.
Student activists have staged huge demonstrations since July calling for Premier Prayut Chan-o-cha, a former army chief who took power in a coup six years ago, to step down. The state of emergency allows for the seizure of “electronic communications equipment, data, and weapons suspected to cause the emergency situation”, a government spokesman said.
It was unclear if a protest scheduled for later Thursday at a major Bangkok intersection would go ahead, with police warning that demonstrators “can no longer gather… as planned or they will face arrest”.
Tensions flared on Wednesday as thousands of demonstrators rallied around Democracy Monument in Bangkok ahead of a scheduled afternoon drive-by of a royal motorcade carrying King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his family. While police had cordoned off most of the protesters away from the royal route, dozens were still present as the motorcade passed.
Queen Suthida could be seen staring from a limousine window as protesters held up three-fingered salutes — a gesture of defiance the pro-democracy movement has borrowed from the popular “Hunger Games” books and films. Such overt challenges to the monarchy are unprecedented in Thailand, where the royal family’s influence permeates every aspect of society.Those calls have prompted a backlash from Thailand’s staunchly pro-royalist establishment.
The King is the most powerful figure in Thailand and is supported by the kingdom’s powerful military and billionaire clans. He spends much of his time in Europe, but he and his family have been in Thailand in recent days for an annual Buddhist merit-making ceremony. Wednesday’s drive-by was the first encounter the royal family has had with the protesters.
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