Thailand protests to pause and return ‘with more intensity’ in 2021

Lawyer Arnon Nampa said this year’s youth-led protest movement has been an ‘overture’

Protesters are seeking the removal of PM Prayuth Chan-ocha and reforms to the monarchy to curb the powers of King Maha Vajiralongkorn

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Pro-democracy demonstrators occupy an intersection in Bangkok during an anti-government protest. Photo: DPA

Published: 10:30am, 15 Dec 2020Updated: 10:32am, 15 Dec 2020

Thai protesters will take a break and return stronger next year, one protest leader said on Monday, after months of demonstrations to remove the government and to demand reforms to curb the monarchy’s powers.

“This year has been just an overture,” said Arnon Nampa, a rights lawyer who has become one of the most prominent faces of a movement that has posed the biggest challenge to the Thai establishment in years.

“We’ll take a break during new year’s holidays and will come back next year with more intensity and bigger turnout,” Arnon told reporters at a police station, where he reported to face charges related to his involvement in the protests.

Thailand’s youth-led protest movement initially sought the removal of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, accusing him of engineering last year’s election to keep hold of power he had seized in a 2014 coup. He says the vote was fair.

The protests later escalated and broke taboos by demanding reforms to curb the powers of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and openly criticising an institution that the constitution says must be revered.

Protesters also want to rewrite a constitution that was drawn up by Prayuth’s former junta.

Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri told Reuters protesters may gather again next year but only if peaceful.

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