Hundreds gather at Bangkok's Democracy Monument to demand election

By Pracha Hariraksapitak

 

Pro-democracy activists shout their demands during protest against junta near Democracy Monument in Bangkok, Thailand February 10, 2018. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Around four hundred people gathered at a monument to democracy in the Thai capital on Saturday to urge the military government not to delay a national election planned later this year, in one of the biggest anti-junta demonstrations since the military took power in 2014.

 

Elections to restore democracy have been postponed several times with November being latest date set by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who was appointed by a military-backed legislature following a coup in 2014.

 

But a change in the election law by parliament last month means the date almost definitely will be pushed back to early 2019, something that has fanned growing discontent among groups who are calling for a swift return to civilian rule.

 

Authorities deployed fences around the Democracy Monument, forcing activists to gather only in the vicinity. Protesters held mock ballot boxes and signs saying: "Disgusted with dictatorship."

 

"The NCPO should hold elections in November 2018, not move it to February 2019," a representative for the demonstration who goes by his Facebook name of Sasiphat Siri told the crowd.

 

The junta is formally known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

 

"Mr. Prayuth, can you hear the people's voices?" shouted another protestor.

 

On Friday, police issued arrest warrants for four activists. One was arrested on Saturday morning, while the other three showed up at the protest on Saturday before turning themselves in to police after the demonstration ended peacefully.

 

Small anti-junta, pro-election protests that began earlier this year have gained momentum in recent weeks with a variety of activities staged by different groups every week. However, these have been mostly confined to the capital.

 

Earlier this week, the Puea Thai Party whose government was ousted in the 2014 coup, issued a statement defending the right of various groups to express their opinions peacefully.

 

"Peaceful expression is the right of every citizen ... I strongly disagree with the actions of the police and those in power to try to impose ... charges against the groups," Phumtham Wechayachai, the party's secretary-general, said in an open letter on Monday.

 

Political parties of all stripes have been urging the junta for months to lift a ban on campaigning and allow them to prepare for the general election.

 

But senior government figures have said the time was not yet right to lift the ban, prompting criticism from rights groups and politicians that the junta wants to delay the vote and prolong its time in power.

 

Parliament voted last month to extend the start date for a new election law by 90 days. The bill lays out rules for lower house elections and is one of four bills that need to take effect before the vote.

 

The enactment date is critical in determining the election date as Thailand's new constitution requires polls to take place within 150 days after electoral laws take effect.

 

On Thursday, 35 Thai activists reported to police after they staged an anti-junta protest last month in downtown Bangkok.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-02-11

 

 

I have a feeling it's gonna take more than "100s"...

"100s" they can accommodate in jail, "1000s" might be  tougher :)

Yeah and good luck with that....

From small acorns large Oak trees will grow. I suspect the crowds will get larger and more frequent. The Junta have to recognise their days are numbered and that handing power back to the people is the ONLY option.

10 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

From small acorns large Oak trees will grow. I suspect the crowds will get larger and more frequent. The Junta have to recognise their days are numbered and that handing power back to the people is the ONLY option.

I agree entirely. They are a lame duck Junta

56 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

I have a feeling it's gonna take more than "100s"...

"100s" they can accommodate in jail, "1000s" might be  tougher :)

I am afraid it would take hundreds of thousands to shift this bunch. They hold all the levers of power and will cling on to the bitter end. The Thai people have got to really mean business this time if they want to see the back of this autocratic clique. A few thousand people on the streets will no-way do it (extremely brave though those people be). The numbers have to rise into the HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS, even approaching millions. Nothing less will prize this bunch from their usurpatory domination of the nation.

 

I was talking yesterday to a Law lecturer at Thammasat and he (a supporter of the junta) is confident that the military control will continue beyond the 'election', as the habit of obedience and subservience is so deeply ingrained in the Thai people. He does not see a mass uprising.

 

Well, without that, the Thais can continue to enjoy the sweet and loving delights of a military junta ...

14 minutes ago, Eligius said:

I am afraid it would take hundreds of thousands to shift this bunch. They hold all the levers of power and will cling on to the bitter end. The Thai people have got to really mean business this time if they want to see the back of this autocratic clique. A few thousand people on the streets will no-way do it (extremely brave though those people be). The numbers have to rise into the HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS, even approaching millions. Nothing less will prize this bunch from their usurpatory domination of the nation.

 

I was talking yesterday to a Law lecturer at Thammasat and he (a supporter of the junta) is confident that the military control will continue beyond the 'election', as the habit of obedience and subservience is so deeply ingrained in the Thai people. He does not see a mass uprising.

 

Well, without that, the Thais can continue to enjoy the sweet and loving delights of a military junta ...

Who knows what the students are beginning to think ....if any resistance develops it will be from their ranks initially I would have thought.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Thai_popular_uprising

They are brave young men and women

1 hour ago, Eligius said:

I am afraid it would take hundreds of thousands to shift this bunch. They hold all the levers of power and will cling on to the bitter end. The Thai people have got to really mean business this time if they want to see the back of this autocratic clique. A few thousand people on the streets will no-way do it (extremely brave though those people be). The numbers have to rise into the HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS, even approaching millions. Nothing less will prize this bunch from their usurpatory domination of the nation.

 

I was talking yesterday to a Law lecturer at Thammasat and he (a supporter of the junta) is confident that the military control will continue beyond the 'election', as the habit of obedience and subservience is so deeply ingrained in the Thai people. He does not see a mass uprising.

 

Well, without that, the Thais can continue to enjoy the sweet and loving delights of a military junta ...

This subservient submissive trait of this land is from the Aryan class system which in India is more famous as the claste system but it also exists in Thailand because of the mixture of cultures from  Central Asia into South East Asia. Its not just a Thai situation. The real problem and that goes for some educated Thais who study law is that they have not been allowed to study the real history of Thailand.Many countries can still grow into revolutions.Which has happened on 2 seperate occasions in the last 100 years in Thailand albeit of varying degrees of success and length.

Remember the Chinese guy years back, defiant, by standing in front of a tank.

 

If just one person speaks out, it is still a voice. Thais deserve better, as do all people on this plant.  

 

Although I've been treated very badly by Thais, during my ten year stay within the Kingdom, embezzlement etc, (I think most will know what I'm referring to), not all Thais are bad and people are still people and deserve freedom, 

 

Thailand has a great opportunity to expand and really move ahead, but once again, greed, as stated in many of my responses, is the ugly head of reality. 

 

I wish those brave Thai people my sincere luck and hope democracy is reinstated? An army defends. Not rules.

Amazing that all of the PDRC anti corruption supporters seem to have suddenly decided they don't actually mind corruption at all.

It was a few walkers just a couple of weeks ago, now it's hundreds,and in juntaland!

 

 

 

 

The entire country seems to be tiring of the junta.   The whole stability, security yarn is no longer an interesting argument for the police state.   Even the elites can see the junta is going to become bad for business soon.  Even so, the entitled of the country have done nearly nothing in fixing the its problems and now THEY are to blame, so they probably will cave.  They still have appointed shills in parliament as their back up plan. 

1 hour ago, Eligius said:

I am afraid it would take hundreds of thousands to shift this bunch. They hold all the levers of power and will cling on to the bitter end. The Thai people have got to really mean business this time if they want to see the back of this autocratic clique. A few thousand people on the streets will no-way do it (extremely brave though those people be). The numbers have to rise into the HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS, even approaching millions. Nothing less will prize this bunch from their usurpatory domination of the nation.

 

I was talking yesterday to a Law lecturer at Thammasat and he (a supporter of the junta) is confident that the military control will continue beyond the 'election', as the habit of obedience and subservience is so deeply ingrained in the Thai people. He does not see a mass uprising.

 

Well, without that, the Thais can continue to enjoy the sweet and loving delights of a military junta ...

It's actually much better than the Yingluck regime or her brothers.

I tire of hearing the usual "democracy" wailing and caterwalling.  Democracy... i.e. The Mob, is just another excuse by selfish ignorant morons to redistribute what isn't theirs.  To call it freedom, to be supposedly "led" by these imbeciles, is a sad psychotic joke.   One quote I particularly like is from the movie Men In Black.

 

Quote

Edwards: Why the big secret? People are smart. They can handle it.

Kay: A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it.

 

 

H.L. Mencken had some true gems to say about democracy.

 

Quote

Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage.

Quote

Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.

Quote

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.

 

12 minutes ago, MrPatrickThai said:

It's actually much better than the Yingluck regime or her brothers.

She only has one brother but based on all the "But, but, but..." posts by you and the few other remaining junta lovers you'd think there was a whole army of them.

8 minutes ago, InnerCynic said:

I tire of hearing the usual "democracy" wailing and caterwalling.  Democracy... i.e. The Mob, is just another excuse by selfish ignorant morons to redistribute what isn't theirs.

 

You mean as opposed to the non-democratic astonishingly rich public "servants" currently in power?

2 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

I have a feeling it's gonna take more than "100s"...

"100s" they can accommodate in jail, "1000s" might be  tougher :)

From little things big things grow.

1 hour ago, Sonhia said:

Remember the Chinese guy years back, defiant, by standing in front of a tank.

Seems that nobody has ever seen him again and the uprising was brutally suppressed. Perhaps a different approach might be better. 

.............. and so it begins. 

Democracy Monument.

 

Look, but don't touch.

 

They should just seel the thing on eBay. After all, it's barely been used.

 

 

2 hours ago, darksidedog said:

From small acorns large Oak trees will grow. I suspect the crowds will get larger and more frequent. The Junta have to recognise their days are numbered and that handing power back to the people is the ONLY option.

Handing power "back to the people"?

Are you really serious?

The elected politico's will do exactly what they want to do and that is mostly opposite to what the people want.

Democracy has been degraded, nearly everywhere in the world, to a periodical "voting" with no direct influence from the voters on politics.

Money governs the world.

Not people.

3 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

I have a feeling it's gonna take more than "100s"...

"100s" they can accommodate in jail, "1000s" might be  tougher :)

The last over throw started exactly like this then gained  momentum then !!!!!

 

1 minute ago, hansnl said:

Handing power "back to the people"?

Are you really serious?

The elected politico's will do exactly what they want to do and that is mostly opposite to what the people want.

Democracy has been degraded, nearly everywhere in the world, to a periodical "voting" with no direct influence from the voters on politics.

Money governs the world.

Not people.

The big hole in your argument hansnl is that in free elections the people can choose who they want to waste their money , its always best to have a choice. in these matters.

50 minutes ago, MrPatrickThai said:

It's actually much better than the Yingluck regime or her brothers.

 

CRICKETS

Posts containing disallowed references to the PM have been removed. 

 

A post commenting on moderation has been removed. 

2 hours ago, Dave67 said:

I agree entirely. They are a lame duck Junta

But...

They have ensured permanent power by defining their majority. The whole of the electorate could vote against them but they would still have the control of the parliament. Is that not so?

Seems to me - sadly - that all the junta need to do is threaten them with blocking their facebook accounts, twitter and line apps and they'd be docile and obedient again.

Should have started this a long time ago.

I guess they are just realising that the equally corrupt junta are planning on staying for as long as possible.

53 minutes ago, InnerCynic said:

I tire of hearing the usual "democracy" wailing and caterwalling.  Democracy... i.e. The Mob, is just another excuse by selfish ignorant morons to redistribute what isn't theirs.  To call it freedom, to be supposedly "led" by these imbeciles, is a sad psychotic joke.   One quote I particularly like is from the movie Men In Black.

 

 

H.L. Mencken had some true gems to say about democracy.

 

 

Well now, I tire of seeing mediocre Hollywood movies, and satirical journalists who spent their whole lives in a country where they were free to say whatever they liked without fear of sanctions, being quoted as justification for authoritarian repressive junta regimes...