Students in Thailand risk jail as they demand more democracy, less power for monarchy
- Anti-government protests have gained momentum in Thailand, as King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s powers have increased since taking the throne in 2016
- PM Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led a 2014 coup and stayed in charge after a disputed election last year, said he was concerned about the movement
Some groups have also demanded the government rewrite the constitution by the end of September to disband the military-appointed Senate and change election laws to make them more democratic, after which the government would resign and hold a new vote. While the government has made some conciliatory statements, one of the groups called Free People – a union led by several different organisers – expects a crowd of 10,000 people for a protest on August 16.
“The plan now is to mobilise more people to join our cause,” said Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree, one of the organisers of Free People group who also inspired youths to gather on July 18, which was then the biggest demonstration since the lockdown began. “What the government is trying to do is buy more time,” he said. “They haven’t really budged.”
