Thai opposition leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit calls on supporters to mobilise in Bangkok on Saturday
- Call comes just days after Thailand’s election panel call for the dissolution of Thanathorn’s progressive Future Forward Party
Thai opposition party leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit called on supporters to mobilise in Bangkok on Saturday, days after the country’s election body called for the dissolution of his party.
Thanathorn, 41, has emerged as the most prominent opponent of a government headed by former junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha, 65, after his progressive Future Forward Party came a surprise third in an election in March.
The opposition Puea Thai party, which was ousted in 2014, won the most seats in the 500-member House of Representatives while Palang Pracharat, the pro-military party formed last year by members of the junta’s Cabinet, came second.
Although Pheu Thai is the biggest opposition party, Future Forward has taken a higher profile in challenging the government.
In a Facebook video, Thanathorn, who is popular among social media-savvy young Thais, called on people who were “fed up with a society like this” to take to the street on Saturday. It is the first time he has made such a call.