Thammasat Closes Site Of Anti-Junta Rally To ‘Remove Pests’

[webfact]

Thammasat Closes Site Of Anti-Junta Rally To ‘Remove Pests’

By Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

 

Photo: Karn Pongpraphapan / Courtesy

 

BANGKOK — The football field at Thammasat University where anti-junta protesters planned to camp overnight Monday before marching on the Government House in the morning was closed today by university staff.

 

The university admitted to closing the sports field at the Tha Prachan campus – to remove pests, according to a sign – on the day people planned to camp there before setting out on a mass protest called for Tuesday, the ruling junta’s fourth anniversary in power.

 

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2018/05/21/thammasat-closes-site-of-anti-junta-rally-to-remove-pests/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2018-05-21

[webfact]

Thai police declare no-go zones for anti-junta march

By Aukkarapon Niyomyat

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai police declared Bangkok's Government House and surrounding streets a no-go zone for Tuesday's planned opposition march marking four years since a May 22, 2014, coup, warning protesters not to defy a junta ban on public gatherings.

 

Around 3,000 police were on standby ahead of the march, which is due to start at Bangkok's Thammasat University and end at Government House in a bid to pressure the military government to hold a general election by November.

 

The junta, known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), has repeatedly postponed the election but now insists a vote will be held by February. The military took power in 2014 following months of street protests and political unrest.

 

Deputy national police chief Srivara Rangsibrahmanakul warned protesters that Government House and the surrounding area would be out of bounds.

 

"I've already ordered that ... 50 metres around Government House will be controlled areas," Srivara told reporters, adding that police expect around 1,000 protesters to gather on Tuesday.

 

He reminded protesters of a junta ban on public gatherings of more than five people.

 

"If you move, you have already violated the law. If you want to fight, you have to fight according to the law," Srivara said.

 

The "We Want Voting Movement", an alliance of anti-military groups, called on the junta to stop postponing the election date.

"Thailand cannot be a democratic country ... if there is no political participation," the group said in a statement.

 

Association of Southeast Asian Nations Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) urged the military government to "lift restrictions on fundamental rights" and hold an election.

 

Following the coup, the junta scrapped the constitution and wrote one that critics say is aimed at consolidating the army's already sweeping powers.

 

It also banned political campaigning and public gatherings.

 

Since the coup, the military has set about trying to weaken the influence of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled in 2006 and fled abroad. His sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, was ousted in the 2014 coup and also fled abroad before being convicted in absentia of corruption.

 

Thaksin was popular with rural voters but is hated by the military-backed royalist elite and urban middle classes who accuse him of corruption and nepotism - accusations he denies.

 

Thaksin lives in self-imposed exile to avoid a graft conviction in 2008 that he says was politically motivated but he remains active in Thai politics.

 

Earlier this year, he met lawmakers from his Puea Thai Party in Hong Kong, calling for unity within the party ahead of the election.

 

(Additional reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Nick Macfie)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-05-21

[JoePai]

Boss Hog and his minions are running scared  ?

[chickenslegs]

Quote

Founded in the wake of 1932 democratic revolution to promote liberal values, Thammasat University housed numerous protests in key moments of Thai political history, including a 1973 student revolt that overthrew the military rulers.

 

The present faculty should be hanging their heads in shame.

[Somtamnication]

Those darn pests; always handing out banners and anti-everything stickers! 

[Eligius]

The junta are just storing up more trouble for themselves in the future.

Oh dear!

 

This ain't gonna end happily in the coming year or so. The junta are just BEGGING for huge frustration, resentment and trouble ...

[webfact]

Police revoke okay for overnight stay prior to Tuesday democracy protest

By The Nation

 

 

Police have ordered surveillance of an area around Government House on Monday in the lead-up to an expected march to the venue by pro-election activists, who plan to deliver an ultimatum to the government to hold an election within this year.

 

Deputy Police Commissioner Pol General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul revealed the order on Monday, but did not say how long the surveillance would last.

 

The close-watch area is designated for 50 metres around Government House, he said.

 

Srivara also said he had ordered the superintendent of Chana Songkhram police station to revoke permission for the pro-election activists to stay overnight on Monday inside Thammasat University as planned.

 

The pro-election activists, led by the Democracy Restoration Group, have announced plans to assembly at the university at 5pm on Monday and remain there overnight before on Tuesday morning marching to Government House. They plan give PM Prayut an ultimatum to hold an election within this year instead of next February as promised by the premier.

 

“The assembly is a political protest, which violates an order of the National Council for Peace and Order. We will take legal action if there is any violation,” Srivara said.

 

He said he would personally inspect the situation on Tuesday when the group marches to Government House. The Royal Compound is close to 150 metres from Government House, and a gathering within that distance is barred under the 2015 Public Assembly Act, he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30345919

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-21

[Eligius]

Oh, the junta are so, so lucky that the mass of the Thai people are not by nature political firebrands and gutsy rebels. But 'even the worm will turn'. The junta  are digging themselves deeper and deeper into a hole and pleading for violence now.

 

When the steam of words and debate is not allowed to escape from a pressurised kettle - there is only one way for the built-up tension and pressure to release itself ....

 

Edited May 21, 2018 by Eligius

[toybits]

Stay safe everyone...

 

[Wilsonandson]

D day has arrived

Edited May 21, 2018 by Wilsonandson

[Eligius]

30 minutes ago, Wilsonandson said:

D day has arrived

It could be - but I rather doubt it. I don't expect today to be more than (if anything) a preliminary skirmish and testing of the waters on both sides. I suspect that bigger crowds will form next year, when the Thais see that democracy is STILL being denied to them (as it will be - in any meaningful sense).

 

Edited May 22, 2018 by Eligius

[cornishcarlos]

16 hours ago, webfact said:

If you want to fight, you have to fight according to the law," Srivara said.

 

We have changed the law, so you can't fight. So any fighting is breaking the law.. We win ?

[Eligius]

Yes (to Cornishcarlos, above): the junta tie the hands and feet of the people, and then, even if a few hundred Thai people dare to venture into the political boxing ring (with their entire body bound and gagged), the junta declares this a crime.

 

So the poor Thais are in a lose-lose situation - UNLESS they take their sovereignty back in MASSIVE numbers.

[tomta]

What pathetic lying lackeys the Thammasat administration are. They should at least have the courage of their cowardice and just tell it straight.

[Eligius]

3 minutes ago, tomta said:

What pathetic lying lackeys the Thammasat administration are. They should at least have the courage of their cowardice and just tell it straight.

Brilliant verbal formulation, Tomta: not possessing 'the courage of their cowardice'. They don't even have that. The same with the junta - even their cowardice is of the most cowardly hue.

 

Edited May 22, 2018 by Eligius

[MaxYakov]

Thammasat University Tha Prachan campus - Google Maps

[klauskunkel]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Thammasat Closes Site Of Anti-Junta Rally To ‘Remove Pests’

A future headline:

New Democratically Elected Government Closes Thammasat to 'Remove Cowards'

[Wilsonandson]

Hundreds of police outside Thammasat University in Bangkok City Center stopping the protesters from leaving.

[Krataiboy]

19 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

 

The present faculty should be hanging their heads in shame.

True, but isn't it heartening to hear young students boldly speaking out against the university bosses' cowardice and the junta's ongoing repression! They are the best hope for a more democratic future.

Edited May 22, 2018 by Krataiboy

[Eligius]

19 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

 

The present faculty should be hanging their heads in shame.

Absolutely agree with you: for administrators of a once proud university that has stood up to despotism now to be kowtowing to a military junta is just awful. And the disgusting symbolism of their excuse: spraying the field to get rid of pests and vermin! In other words - people who want basic human rights and democracy are mere cockroaches in the eye of the 'authorities'. Truly appalling.

[bangrak]

18 hours ago, Eligius said:

Oh, the junta are so, so lucky that the mass of the Thai people are not by nature political firebrands and gutsy rebels. But 'even the worm will turn'. The junta  are digging themselves deeper and deeper into a hole and pleading for violence now.

 

When the steam of words and debate is not allowed to escape from a pressurised kettle - there is only one way for the built-up tension and pressure to release itself ....

 

LOL, a lot of steam you produce by yourself...

As for what you refer to, a tiny small kettle of paid(!) agitators(!) wouldn't make more noise than a wet firecracker when it would explode, even less when the lid would be taken off, like it should have happened well before. There must be reasons to let this silly pantomime go on, as there are more than enough factual elements which could be brought forward to put an end to these 'groups' and silence the few navel-staring 'youths', before they secure that lucrative future in politics(!) they do it all for!

[bangrak]

2 hours ago, klauskunkel said:

A future headline:

New Democratically Elected Government Closes Thammasat to 'Remove Cowards'

Wow, your crystal bowl allows you to look that far in the future? How many tens of years to wait, please? For a first really Democratically elected parliament? Or would you dare to pretend that it ever happened, before?

As for removing cowards, the size of that job alone! Cockroaches are to be found everywhere, you know... Ah, but that's a pest! Maybe that's what the signs at T. U. meant... 'Polarising' won't help solving the real problem, I'm afraid...

[Gregorio1]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai police declare no-go zones for anti-junta march

By Aukkarapon Niyomyat

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai police declared Bangkok's Government House and surrounding streets a no-go zone for Tuesday's planned opposition march marking four years since a May 22, 2014, coup, warning protesters not to defy a junta ban on public gatherings.

 

Around 3,000 police were on standby ahead of the march, which is due to start at Bangkok's Thammasat University and end at Government House in a bid to pressure the military government to hold a general election by November.

 

The junta, known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), has repeatedly postponed the election but now insists a vote will be held by February. The military took power in 2014 following months of street protests and political unrest.

 

Deputy national police chief Srivara Rangsibrahmanakul warned protesters that Government House and the surrounding area would be out of bounds.

 

"I've already ordered that ... 50 metres around Government House will be controlled areas," Srivara told reporters, adding that police expect around 1,000 protesters to gather on Tuesday.

 

He reminded protesters of a junta ban on public gatherings of more than five people.

 

"If you move, you have already violated the law. If you want to fight, you have to fight according to the law," Srivara said.

 

The "We Want Voting Movement", an alliance of anti-military groups, called on the junta to stop postponing the election date.

"Thailand cannot be a democratic country ... if there is no political participation," the group said in a statement.

 

Association of Southeast Asian Nations Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) urged the military government to "lift restrictions on fundamental rights" and hold an election.

 

Following the coup, the junta scrapped the constitution and wrote one that critics say is aimed at consolidating the army's already sweeping powers.

 

It also banned political campaigning and public gatherings.

 

Since the coup, the military has set about trying to weaken the influence of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled in 2006 and fled abroad. His sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, was ousted in the 2014 coup and also fled abroad before being convicted in absentia of corruption.

 

Thaksin was popular with rural voters but is hated by the military-backed royalist elite and urban middle classes who accuse him of corruption and nepotism - accusations he denies.

 

Thaksin lives in self-imposed exile to avoid a graft conviction in 2008 that he says was politically motivated but he remains active in Thai politics.

 

Earlier this year, he met lawmakers from his Puea Thai Party in Hong Kong, calling for unity within the party ahead of the election.

 

(Additional reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Amy Sawitta Lefevre; Editing by Nick Macfie)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-05-21

The real challenge is getting rid of all of the vermin in the administration offices!  ?

[Eric Loh]

23 minutes ago, bangrak said:

LOL, a lot of steam you produce by yourself...

As for what you refer to, a tiny small kettle of paid(!) agitators(!) wouldn't make more noise than a wet firecracker when it would explode, even less when the lid would be taken off, like it should have happened well before. There must be reasons to let this silly pantomime go on, as there are more than enough factual elements which could be brought forward to put an end to these 'groups' and silence the few navel-staring 'youths', before they secure that lucrative future in politics(!) they do it all for!

Don't let this small activity ruin your lunch. You will be happy to note that the junta government is armed with draconian laws to deal with the protestors and they have the firepower if needed. 

[klauskunkel]

21 minutes ago, bangrak said:

Wow, your crystal bowl allows you to look that far in the future?

Please meet my crystal bowl:

 

I am happy to say it is clearer than a lot of your posts.

[Wilsonandson]

Student activist Siriwit Seritiwat, known as “Ja New” faints at rally in Thammasat university.

 

 

[Becker]

1 hour ago, bangrak said:

LOL, a lot of steam you produce by yourself...

As for what you refer to, a tiny small kettle of paid(!) agitators(!) wouldn't make more noise than a wet firecracker when it would explode, even less when the lid would be taken off, like it should have happened well before. There must be reasons to let this silly pantomime go on, as there are more than enough factual elements which could be brought forward to put an end to these 'groups' and silence the few navel-staring 'youths', before they secure that lucrative future in politics(!) they do it all for!

Wow - an honest to God junta supporter! Didn't think there was anyone left but amazingly enough some hard-core fanboys still remain?

[coulson]

Anyone know if they finished the bug spraying yet?

[Eligius]

23 minutes ago, coulson said:

Anyone know if they finished the bug spraying yet?

They should turn the sprays on the quisling university officials and the junta cowards. Give them a good de-lousing. But then - they are so filthy and morally rotten that no amount of water and chemicals could cleanse such denizens of the sewers!

 

And talking of quislings: have you heard how the 'actors' and 'actresses' of that pathetic nationalistic Thai soap opera, 'Love Destiny', all traipsed in to Government House today to lend support to the 'government'? Money and fame over principle; self-benefit and shameless self-display over humanity and solidarity with the oppressed. Sadly, most, most, most Thais would never even dream of refusing to watch or boycotting those actors on principle after they have lent their 'glamour' to an illegitimate 'government' (it would not even enter their heads): because moral principle is not something that is earnestly and sincerely valued and inculcated in this utterly unethical culture, where 'might is right'.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 22, 2018 by Eligius

[bangrak]

5 hours ago, Becker said:

Wow - an honest to God junta supporter! Didn't think there was anyone left but amazingly enough some hard-core fanboys still remain?

It's not because I am against these sponsored agitators that I am a 'junta supporter', but hey, don't bother, go on with that black vs. white stuff...