For the fourth day in a row, tens of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators defied Sunday, October 18, the ban on assemblies in Bangkok to demand the resignation of the Prime Minister and a reform of the monarchy.

The largest gathering, gathered near the Democracy Monument in the heart of the capital, sang the national anthem, raising three fingers, a gesture of resistance borrowed from the movie "Hunger Games".

The tensions of Friday, October 16, when the police evacuated the protesters using water cannons, did not dissuade the protest made up of a majority of young people.

Several demonstrators held up portraits of protest leaders arrested in recent days, including that of activist Anon Numpa detained in Chiang Mai (north).

"Speak freely about the king"

"There will be no democracy in this country without reform of the monarchy," said a young man of 24, on condition of anonymity.

"I want to be able to speak freely about the king, it is a legitimate right", launched a student.

The movement urges the repeal of the lese majesté law which punishes from three to fifteen years in prison any defamation or insult to the monarch and his family.

He also asks for more transparency in the finances of the wealthy monarchy and the non-interference of the sovereign in political affairs.

In Thailand, protesters continue to mobilize to demand more democracy

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King Maha Vajiralongkorn did not directly comment on the events, but said Thailand "needs a people who love their country".

"If the demonstrators defy the law, the police will do whatever is necessary to enforce it," warned the spokesman for the national police.

12 coups d'état since 1932

The protesters also demand the resignation of the Prime Minister, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, brought to power by a coup in 2014 and legitimized by controversial elections in 2019.

Some denounce its "bad" economic record while the country, locked since the coronavirus pandemic and very dependent on tourism, is in the midst of a recession, with millions of people unemployed.

Ban on gatherings of more than four people, proscription of online publications deemed "contrary to national security": the authorities have already promulgated emergency measures Thursday to try to break the dispute.

They justified their decision by denouncing incidents against a royal procession: dozens of demonstrators had raised three fingers on Wednesday in front of Queen Suthida's vehicle in a sign of challenge.

The emergency decree promulgated is "a green light [...] to violate fundamental rights and make arbitrary arrests with complete impunity," lamented the NGO Human Rights Watch on Saturday, while dozens of activists were arrested these days. last days.

Thailand is used to political violence, with 12 coups d'état since the abolition of the absolute monarchy in 1932. Some observers note that a new takeover by the military could be possible if the situation were to continue.

With AFP

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