Thailand has been struggling to cope with the third wave of the epidemic, and people are increasingly angry with the government. A large number of people demonstrated in Bangkok today, demanding that Prime Minister Prayuth step down and marking the first anniversary of the pro-democracy movement, while police used water cannons to disperse the crowd.
Thailand is facing its most severe COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) outbreak to date, with a record number of confirmed cases per day and heavy pressure on hospitals.
The slow pace of government procurement of the vaccine has led to an increase in the number of deaths. This has drawn criticism from all sides, and the increasingly stringent restrictions have hit the Thai economy hard.
Defying a ban on rallies of five or more people, demonstrators piled up fake body bags painted red near the intersection of Bangkok’s Democracy Monument before heading to the Prime Minister’s Office (Government House) to protest.
One demonstration organizer shouted, “Even if we stay at home, we will still die from COVID-19, that’s why we have to stand up!” He made 3 major demands, including Prayut Chan-O-Cha’s unconditional resignation; cutting the royal and military budgets to devote to fighting the epidemic; and introducing the mRNA vaccine.
Prayut will remain in power after the 2019 elections, while popular opposition politicians continue to suffer blows. By mid-2020, a disgruntled population inspired by the Hong Kong people launched a pro-democracy movement.1 At this time a year ago, thousands gathered in front of the Democracy Monument to demand that Prayuth resign and amend the constitution, while reforming Thailand’s long-standing and unshakable monarchy.
With Covid-19 rapidly crippling the Thai economy, the government’s mishandling of the response during the pandemic has also become a key popular demand for reform.
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