Thai protesters defy government’s emergency decree banning large gatherings, demanding police ‘release our friends’

Name: Thousands defy gathering ban to attend pro-democracy protest in Thailand
Uploaded: 2020-10-14T23:11:40.000Z
Duration: 2 min 55 s
Description: Thousands defy gathering ban to attend pro-democracy protest in Thailand

The state of emergency includes a ban on gatherings of five or more people and online information that could ‘affect national security’

Thousands of protesters were removed from outside PM Prayuth Chan-ocha’s office, where they were demanding his resignation

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Pro-democracy protesters flash the three-finger salute during a rally against the state of emergency. Photo: EPA

Reuters

Published: 7:11am, 15 Oct 2020Updated: 4:51am, 16 Oct 2020

Thousands of Thai protesters demonstrated in Bangkok on Thursday in defiance of a ban imposed to end three months of anti-government action that has targeted King Maha Vajiralongkorn as well as Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former junta leader.

“Release our friends,” protesters chanted at police, referring to the arrest of some 40 protesters this week. They held up the three-finger salute adopted as a symbol of opposition after Prayuth’s 2014 coup.

Despite police appeals over a loudspeaker to disperse, the group spilled across the Ratchaprasong Intersection in one of Bangkok’s busiest commercial districts.

A protester tied a white bow to the wrist of one policemen, saying: “One day we will stand side by side when Thailand is better.”

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Thousands defy gathering ban to attend pro-democracy protest in Thailand

Three months of protests in the country of 70 million have been largely peaceful, as was a march by tens of thousands of people on Wednesday.