Thai protesters, police clash as MPs mull charter change
BANGKOK (AP) — Pro-democracy protesters in Thailand battled Police who sought to keep them from entering the grounds of Parliament on Tuesday to press for Constitutional changes as Lawmakers debated whether to back proposed amendments.
(1 of 13) Riot police stand in formation as pro-democracy protesters throw smoke bombs near the Parliament in Bangkok, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. Thailand's political battleground shifted to the country's Parliament Tuesday, where lawmakers are considering proposals to amend the country's constitution, one of the core demands of the student-led pro-democracy movement.
(2 of 13) Democracy protesters take cover after breaking through a barricade during an anti-government rally near the Parliament in Bangkok, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. Thailand's political battleground shifted to the country's Parliament Tuesday, where lawmakers are considering proposals to amend the country's constitution, one of the core demands of the student-led pro-democracy movement
(3 of 13) Pro-democracy protesters take cover with inflatable ducks as police fire water cannons during an anti-government rally near the Parliament in Bangkok, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. Thailand's political battleground shifted to the country's Parliament Tuesday, where lawmakers are considering proposals to amend the country's constitution, one of the core demands of the student-led pro-democracy movement.
(4 of 13) Police use water cannons to disperse pro-democracy demonstrators near the Parliament in Bangkok, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. Thailand's political battleground shifted to the country's Parliament Tuesday, where lawmakers are considering proposals to amend the country's constitution, one of the core demands of the student-led pro-democracy movement.
(5 of 13) Pro-democracy protesters take cover with inflatable ducks and umbrellas as police fire water cannons during an anti-government rally near the Parliament in Bangkok, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. Thailand's political battleground shifted to the country's Parliament Tuesday, where lawmakers are considering proposals to amend the country's constitution, one of the core demands of the student-led pro-democracy movement.
(6 of 13) Police in riot gear stand in formation to disperse pro-democracy demonstrators near the Parliament in Bangkok, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. Thailand's political battleground shifted to the country's Parliament Tuesday, where lawmakers are considering proposals to amend the country's constitution, one of the core demands of the student-led pro-democracy movement.
(7 of 13) Police in riot gear stand in formation to disperse pro-democracy demonstrators near the Parliament in Bangkok, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. Thailand's political battleground shifted to the country's Parliament Tuesday, where lawmakers are considering proposals to amend the country's constitution, one of the core demands of the student-led pro-democracy movement.
(8 of 13) Royalist supporters look to confront pro-democracy protesters during an anti-government rally near the Parliament in Bangkok, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. Thailand's political battleground shifted to the country's Parliament Tuesday, where lawmakers are considering proposals to amend the country's constitution, one of the core demands of the student-led pro-democracy movement.
(9 of 13) Police in riot gear deployed to disperse pro-democracy demonstrators near the Parliament in Bangkok, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. Thailand's political battleground shifted to the country's Parliament Tuesday, where lawmakers are considering proposals to amend the country's constitution, one of the core demands of the student-led pro-democracy movement.
(10 of 13) Democracy protesters break through a barricade during an anti-government rally near the Parliament in Bangkok, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. Thailand's political battleground shifted to the country's Parliament Tuesday, where lawmakers are considering proposals to amend the country's constitution, one of the core demands of the student-led pro-democracy movement.
(11 of 13) Riot police throw a smoke bomb back to pro-democracy protesters near the Parliament in Bangkok, Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. Thailand's political battleground shifted to the country's Parliament Tuesday, where lawmakers are considering proposals to amend the country's constitution, one of the core demands of the student-led pro-democracy movement.
November 18, 2020
About 40 people were injured, including five who were shot, according to emergency services. It was unclear who fired the shots and whether they were live rounds or rubber bullets. Some of the injuries occurred during a brawl between the pro-democracy protesters and stone-throwing royalists who oppose constitutional change.
Police used tear gas and water cannons laced with irritating chemicals against the student-led demonstrators, who tried to push their way past barbed-wire barriers to enter the grounds of the legislature on the outskirts of Bangkok.
The chaotic street confrontations began in midafternoon and ended about six hours later, when protest leaders called a halt and sent followers home. It was the worst violence during months of actions by the protesters, though police had previously employed water cannons at least twice. The protest movement has been staging increasingly determined mass rallies of thousands of people around the country.
Lawmakers are scheduled to vote on seven proposed constitutional amendments during a two-day joint session of the elected House and appointed Senate. Constitutional changes require a joint vote of both bodies. Any motions that are passed will have to go through second and third votes at least a month after this week’s balloting.
Lawmakers adjourned a previous session without voting on proposed amendments, leading the protesters to accuse the government of bad faith. The parliamentary session is an effort by the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to take the initiative away from the pro-democracy movement, which in addition to seeking constitutional changes and reforms to the monarchy wants Prayuth and his government to step down.
The protesters say that Prayuth, who as army chief in 2014 led a coup that ousted an elected government, returned to power unfairly in last year’s election because laws had been changed to favor a pro-military party. The protesters also say the constitution, written and enacted under military rule, is undemocratic.
Reform of the monarchy is a key demand of the protest movement, which believes the royal institution is too powerful and lacks accountability. The unprecedented demand has touched a raw nerve in Thailand, where reverence for the royal institution is inculcated from birth and protected by a law that makes defaming the monarch and his immediate family punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Tuesday's violence grew as about 1,000 protesters were pushed back by police water cannons as they tried to breach barriers set up on several streets to keep them from entering the Parliament compound.
Police also fired fired tear gas canisters, some of which were tossed back by demonstrators, many of whom wore helmets and other protective gear. The Erawan emergency medical services group said 41 people were injured, including five who were shot in the leg, stomach or wrist. No further details were available. Police later denied firing any guns and said they had complied with laws and international standards.
A protest leader, Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, announced at about 8 p.m. that the demonstrators had captured enough ground to declare they had achieved their goal of surrounding Parliament. Some lawmakers had already left the scene by boat from a pier behind Parliament.
Parit announced another rally on Wednesday afternoon at the busy Rajprasong intersection in the heart of Bangkok’s main shopping district. Parliament is not expected to agree on specific constitutional changes at this point. The protesters back a proposal that would roll back aspects of the current 2017 constitution — enacted during military rule — that granted extra powers to unelected branches of government, such as the Senate.
Instead, Parliament is likely to establish a drafting committee to write a new charter. This would allow the government to say it is willing to meet the protesters’ demands at least halfway, while buying time with a process that could extend over many months.
Any change to sections of the constitution concerning the monarchy is fiercely opposed by the government and its supporters, who consider the monarchy untouchable. Thailand has had 20 constitutions since abolishing the absolute monarchy in 1932 in favor of a constitutional monarchy.
Associated Press writers Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul and Grant Peck contributed to this report.
Subjects
General news, Charters, International agreements, International relations People
Prayuth Chan-ocha Locations
Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia, Bangkok Organisations
Thailand government
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Researchers opined that recently warn that Thai king,Thai Govt & the World that there are traces of Secret Sponsorship & violent Programing of Thai Protestors with its associated Mayhem influenced by Her imperial Queen's networks with its associated Buhari Medieval Govt,as to weaken,disorganize or to dieter Thai Govt & Thai King from legally or forcefully recovering the Nigeria Govt seized Thai Rice from,either refunding it or returning the seized Rice,which were mostly & secretly sent to Buhari ancestral Nigerien Republic Home Villages, where Rice are affordable & obtainable,as North are hungry. Thai Govt or king could appeal to the WTO & the World Customs Organization for Refunding the seized Rice Cost or Returning hidden seized Rice back to the Owners.
Since,Goods in Shipped Ships'' loads, could be returned back to the Shippers as uninformed upon arrival,not seized, but they are turn back to the Senders,as its value is too big, could damage its Trade Credit, as only Containers are legally seized when abridged the known Customs Laws.If any Ship left its Shore,it could not seized,as they are not informed before arrival,definitely there will be turned back to the Sender.-------------------------------------------------------
Thai police revive royal defamation law ahead of Protest
BANGKOK (AP) — girded for another rally Wednesday as the students push their demands that Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his government step down, the constitution be amended to make it more democratic, and the monarchy be reformed to be made more accountable.
(1 of 2) Human rights lawyer Arnon Nampha raises a three-finger salute, a symbol of resistance, talks to supporters during a protest near Democracy monument Bangkok, Thailand. Thai authorities have escalated their legal battle against the students leading pro-democracy protests, charging 12 of them with violating a harsh law against defaming the monarchy. News of the charges comes as the Thai capital Bangkok girded for another pro-democracy rally Wednesday, Nov. 25.
(2 of 2) Pro-democracy student leaders of the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration, from left, Panupong Jadnok, Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul and Parit Chiwarak raise a three-fingers salute, a symbol of resistance after announcing a pro-democracy movement rally scheduled later in September at Thammasat University Bangkok, Thailand. Thai authorities have escalated their legal battle against the students leading pro-democracy protests, charging 12 of them with violating a harsh law against defaming the monarchy. News of the charges comes as the Thai capital Bangkok girded for another pro-democracy rally Wednesday, Nov. 25.
November 25, 2020
Police on Tuesday issued summonses for 12 protest leaders to answer charges of lese majeste, defaming or insulting key members of the royal family. The offense is punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment.
The law is controversial, because anyone — not just royals or authorities — can lodge a complaint, so it had in the past been used as a weapon in political vendettas. But it has not been employed for the past three years, after King Maha Vajiralongkorn informed the government that he did not wish to see its use. The king has not publicly commented on the law since then.
According to the legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, the 12 suspects include top protest leaders known for their public criticism of the monarchy. Many in the student-led protest movement believe the monarchy holds too much power for a constitutional monarchy. But their challenge is fiercely opposed by royalists, who consider the royal institution an untouchable bedrock of national identity.
One of the 12 protest leaders, Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, posted his response to the summons on Twitter on Tuesday, saying: “I am not afraid anymore. The ceiling (of our demands) is destroyed. Nobody can stop us now.”
The protest movement late Tuesday night announced a change of venue for their latest rally, which was to put a focus on the monarchy. It had earlier announced that it would be held outside the offices of the Crown Property Bureau, which manages the vast fortune controlled by the king.
The target was switched to the head office of the Siam Commercial Bank, a publicly-held company in which the king is the biggest shareholder. The bank’s headquarters are in a different area of Bangkok, far from the district hosting the Crown Property Bureau and other royal and government offices.
The protest movement announced the change of venue was to avoid a confrontation with police and royalist counter demonstrators, which they said they feared could trigger a declaration of martial law or a coup by the military.
Barbed wire had already been installed around the Crown Property Bureau offices and the government had declared an exclusion zone of 150 meters (500 feet) around the property into which it would be illegal for protesters to enter. The bank, as a commercial enterprise rather than a royal office, apparently would not fall into the legal category of areas where an exclusion zone could be declared.
A protest rally on Nov. 17 turned chaotic, as police employed water cannons and tear gas to block the protesters from entering the Parliament grounds. At least 55 people were hurt, including six reported to have had gunshot wounds, incurred in circumstances that remain unclear. Police denied firing live rounds or rubber bullets.
The next day, several thousand demonstrators gathered outside the national headquarters of the police in central Bangkok to protest the use of force. The rally at police headquarters was nonviolent but fueled royalist outrage at the protest movement, as demonstrators defaced the Royal Thai Police sign and scrawled graffiti and chanted slogans that could be considered derogatory to the king.
Prayuth reacted by declaring that the protesters had gone too far and could now expect to be prosecuted for their illegal actions. While protest leaders have faced dozens of charges over the past few months, they have generally been freed on bail, and none have yet come to trial.
A statement issued Wednesday by Free Youth, a driving force in a coalition of protest groups, called Thailand a failed state whose people “are ruled by capitalists, military, and feudalists.” “And under this state, the ruling class oppress the people who are the true founders and heirs of this country,” said the statement, the most strident issued so far in the name of the group.
Many of their rallies have had a light-hearted element, with clever slogans and songs. But the statement declared that “This is not a frivolous fad, it is a fearless fight to light up the future in our generation.”
Subjects
General news, Government and politics, Constitutional amendments, Constitutions People
Prayuth Chan-ocha, King Maha Vajiralongkorn Locations
Thailand, Southeast Asia, Asia, Bangkok Organisations
Thailand government
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Experts opined that Buhari Coordinators Ex. Military President Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar & Ex-Brigadier Mohamed Buba Marwa are behind the scenes of quiet Elimination & tactical silencing of credible Nigerian retired Top Officials,who have led or speak out whenever there is a problem in the North or Nigeria. Experts believe that most ex-Officials left,are Fulani or Fulani controlled Ex-Officials. Which occurred mostly in the North.But there is info that the Buhari Medieval Regime secretly sent most seized Thai Rice to his ancestral Nigerien Republic home community,where Rice is affordable & securable,while most North starve badly.
Also,Experts opined that Buhari Coordinators Ex. Military President Gen. Abdulsalami & Ex-Brigadier Marwa are behind scene of viz-a-viz gradual/systematic poisoning and Electronic Explosive Devices aided Motors' Accidents to occur in difficult positions/places,which greatly made Nigeria very quiet,gullible and easy submissive for easy wrong governance.
The Fulani Hegemony with its serving Cronies learnt these from, obtained them and were taught by Her Imperial Majesty Buckingham palace Secret Security Agents and was used to down the 2018 Leicester helicopter crash,where All five people on board – the pilot and four passengers, including club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha – were killed.
IBB & late Ado strategically preferred of championing North to lead Nigeria, where Fulani actually occurred the top Northern Post, rather than foolish championing Fulani Agenda, which have divided or split North into different Ethnics or tribal Groups and Hegemony are exposed & further lead to failure or lost.
Buhari led Fulani Medieval attempts, coordinated or executed by the Buhari led Coordinators Ex. Military President Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar & Ex-Brigadier Mohamed Buba Marwa, may backfire or mislead Hegemony. The Northern Ethnic Division awareness is highly noted and encouraging to all Nigerian Stakeholders who might assist Nigeria at appropriate time.
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Mazi Patrick O.,email: akwaba2000@gmail.com
Thinker, Writer, Political Strategist, Historian & Psychoanalyst.
