Thai Activists Call for Strike After Thousands Protest Monarchy
Thai Activists Call for Strike After Thousands Protest Monarchy
(Bloomberg) -- Thailand’s anti-government protesters, emboldened by their biggest demonstration since the 2014 military coup on Saturday, called for a general strike next month as the movement challenges long-held taboos including questioning the monarchy’s powers.
Organizers of Saturday’s rally handed a list of demands to a representative of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s Privy Council on Sunday, and installed a plaque on the royal grounds that read: “The country belongs to the people, not the monarchy.”
About 50,000 people joined the gathering on a field traditionally used for royal ceremonies next to the Grand Palace, according to the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, the student-led group organizing the event.
The Thammasat group called for a general strike on Oct. 14 and urged supporters to show solidarity by not standing during the royal anthem and displaying white ribbons. They’re also calling for a boycott of Siam Commercial Bank Pcl, in which the king is the majority shareholder.
Last month, the group listed 10 demands, including a call for revoking the country’s strict lese-majeste laws that criminalize insults of senior members of the royal family. The demonstrators’ challenges to the monarchy confront deeply entrenched taboos in Thailand, where openly criticizing the royals can lead to long jail sentences.
The protesters’ other demands include a change to the constitution to allow a separation of the monarch’s properties from the Crown Property Bureau; and aligning the budget for the monarchy with economic conditions.
Over the past months, the protest movement has expanded, with various groups using digital spaces to set meetings and spread their demands in a style of organizing reminiscent of the leaderless flash mobs in Hong Kong and the U.S. The demonstrators are also calling for changes in the constitution that would remove the military influence in politics and for a new, more democratic election.
The Thammasat group organizers plan to march to parliament on Sept. 24 to protest the government’s proposed charter amendment that doesn’t include a reform on monarchy.
Mounting Protests
The mounting protests present a challenge for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, a former army chief who led the 2014 coup and stayed in charge after a disputed election last year conducted under rules written by his military government. The premier has said the government was looking into possible amendment of the charter that was drafted by the junta ahead of last year’s vote.
“Our hope is to spread our message and communicate to people why we need to reform the monarchy, why we need to get rid of Prayuth’s regime,” said Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, one of the leading voices of the Thammasat group. “We want the government to realize that our movement isn’t insignificant. Don’t think that we’re just students.”
At the weekend demonstration, people of different ages sat on the lawns and cheered speakers’ calls for changes to the constitution and government.
One demonstrator, Somchai Weaingkum, said his father had accompanied him to the rally, and had brought him to protests in 2010 when he was 15 years old. “We want a full democracy, not just a pretend one,” Somchai said.
Piyanuch Saengsawang, 70, said she joined the protest with two friends her age because she’s worried about the future for her grandchildren. “Over the past decade, we see this country heading in the wrong direction. The fight led by this generation gives us hope,” she said.
Budget Delay
Prayuth’s government is currently without a finance minister after the previous chief resigned less than a month into the job, and it’s facing a two-week delay in its fiscal year 2021 budget amid slow stimulus spending. The Thai economy, heavily reliant on trade and tourism, is on course for its deepest ever annual contraction of 8.5% this year.
With the economy already weak, it’s unclear whether fiscal policy can step up to provide support, according to Tim Leelahaphan, an economist at Standard Chartered Pcl in Bangkok. The bank remains cautious on the economic outlook and expects a further cut in Bank of Thailand’s key interest rate, he wrote in a note.
Since the protest movement began in July, 14 people have been arrested by police and later released on bail, according to data from the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights. At least 61 people faced charges for leading or participating in the protests, with some of them facing sedition charges which can lead to up to seven years in jail.
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