Thailand protests: Bangkok shuts down transport as demonstrators remain defiant
- Transport came to a standstill in Bangkok as the Thai capital faced a third straight day of sustained anti-government protests
- The demonstrators have borrowed heavily from the Hong Kong protest playbook, keeping their movements fluid and pushing back riot police with umbrellas
Transport was paralysed across central Bangkok on Saturday as thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators gathered for a third straight day in defiance of emergency laws after a chaotic Friday night that saw riot police use water cannons on protesters in the Thai capital.
Bangkok’s BTS overground train system and metro were closed throughout the city as protesters massed at multiple locations, blocking several intersections to stretch the police.
“Everyone is a leader today,” said Moss, 23, referring to Saturday’s leaderless rallies after dozens of prominent organisers were arrested this week.
“We’re trying to stretch the police force by holding rallies in a number of key Bangkok junctions,” he added.
There were demonstrations in at least six cities outside Bangkok too. Police did not intervene, and the participants dispersed after several hours.