FILE PHOTO: Police officers line up as demonstrators protest against the government's handling of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, in Bangkok, Thailand, August 10, 2021. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai police defended their use of force against protesters as a necessary public safety measure, as the capital Bangkok braced for more demonstrations on Wednesday to demand the prime minister's removal for mismanaging a coronavirus crisis.

 

Police fired tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets https://reut.rs/3lQhS1Z on Tuesday to disperse protesters gathered near the residence of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to show their anger over an outbreak that has seen record deaths in recent days.

 

Thousands of protesters drove in a convoy of cars and motorcycles through Bangkok, stopping at locations linked to cabinet members or supporters of Prayuth, who has defended his strategy to fight the virus.

 

Police said nine officers were injured, one by gunshot to the leg, while the other eight were hurt by firecrackers, rocks and shrapnel from homemade bombs made using ping pong balls.

 

At least two police traffic boxes were set ablaze and other public property damaged, police said.

 

"Police decided to use tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullet because we considered that if we don't, there will be more damage," Bangkok police chief Pakapong Pongpetra told a news conference.

 

Pakapong said 48 people were arrested including 15 youths, and 122 motorcycles were confiscated.

 

Protesters have called for another march to Prayuth's residence on Wednesday.

 

The youth-led movement, which drew broad support during months of large and frequent rallies last year, has seen a recent resurgence coinciding with country's worst COVID-19 outbreak yet, which has accounted for the overwhelming majority of Thailand's more than 788,000 cases and 6,700 deaths.

 

Several core leaders remain in detention awaiting trial for sedition, among other offences.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-08-11

 

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4 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Prayuth, who has defended his strategy to fight the virus.

Confirmation that he is totally delusional!

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Thai police defended their use of force against protesters as a necessary public safety measure,

I did not think there were many "public" on the streets of Bangkok at the moment in need of protection from the demonstrators.

A bit different if all the tourists etc were around.

Edited August 11, 20214 yr by fangless

it looks now, like protests, with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons, are here to stay with us as a daily future.

Yesterday there were 3 police boxes torched

 

Edited August 11, 20214 yr by internationalism

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thai police defended their use of force against protesters as a necessary public safety measure

That is a matter of opinion. Some might think the best protection of the people would be to give free way.

2 minutes ago, Artisi said:

With 1, maybe 2 suffering gun shot wounds and other injuries from home made bombs and rocks fired from catapults etc.

I'm no fan of the little general and his cohorts and maybe some protesting is justified - - but deliberately going out to injure police who are just doing their job is over the top, and necessary force should be brought to bear on these few idiots causing the problem.  

 

Any difference than storming the white house? 

 

My suggestion is to get someone who reads and follows the recent protests and have them translate the reports etc. into English for you to really understand what many of these protesters are really doing in the name of protest against the government and he who can't be named. 

You might be very surprised. 

yes, they are many protesters injured every day by rubber bullets and mercilessly smacked by buttons.

People go to protest against botched, corrupted vaccination program in as much peaceful manner as possible. It's police who attack - see today's reports from victory monument. They have arrested even street vendors. Yesterday they smashed with buttons cars windshields and windows. They fired rubber bullets at the container trailer windshield, which was passing by, and driver was dragged out and arrested.

yes, there is a difference between storming the white house or capitol hill - those were not entering any high security government offices, just congregating on the street.

No, I don't need thai translator, enough reports in english.

Yes, many of those protesting are also republicans. I am one also

 

13 minutes ago, internationalism said:

yes, they are many protesters injured every day by rubber bullets and mercilessly smacked by buttons.

People go to protest against botched, corrupted vaccination program in as much peaceful manner as possible. It's police who attack - see today's reports from victory monument. They have arrested even street vendors. Yesterday they smashed with buttons cars windshields and windows. They fired rubber bullets at the container trailer windshield, which was passing by, and driver was dragged out and arrested.

yes, there is a difference between storming the white house or capitol hill - those were not entering any high security government offices, just congregating on the street.

No, I don't need thai translator, enough reports in english.

Yes, many of those protesting are also republicans. I am one also

 

Probably the last sentence says it all.

Protesting is fine, but when protesters get out of hand and violent, then authorities need to act in accordance with the threat (what ever country you're in).

These protests started off very peaceful last year, but because of a few thugs (and thai people follow the leader most times), then they have become violent and disrupt everyone's lives.  The reasons for the original protest then get lost in the violence.

8 minutes ago, internationalism said:

yes, they are many protesters injured every day by rubber bullets and mercilessly smacked by buttons.

People go to protest against botched, corrupted vaccination program in as much peaceful manner as possible. It's police who attack - see today's reports from victory monument. They have arrested even street vendors. Yesterday they smashed with buttons cars windshields and windows. They fired rubber bullets at the container trailer windshield, which was passing by, and driver was dragged out and arrested.

yes, there is a difference between storming the white house or capitol hill - those were not entering any high security government offices, just congregating on the street.

No, I don't need thai translator, enough reports in english.

Yes, many of those protesting are also republicans. I am one also

 

If you're happy to take read and believe what the majority of English language news media report then you are poorly misinformed. The main thrust from the protester are the unsettling of the current government and major changes to the morarchy - this is down played by the English media as they haven't the b all's to report it, for me I don't have a dog in this race so therefore it is of no  concern to me.

However, my comments in the main were about the criminal element attending these "peaceful" rallies to cause chaos and injury to the police who are simply there endeavouring to maintain some order - nothing more nothing less. Bear in mind many of the police might also be against the current government and the monarchy, but their job is to do as they are told. 

 

 

15 minutes ago, Artisi said:

If you're happy to take read and believe what the majority of English language news media report then you are poorly misinformed. The main thrust from the protester are the unsettling of the current government and major changes to the morarchy - this is down played by the English media as they haven't the b all's to report it, for me I don't have a dog in this race so therefore it is of no  concern to me.

However, my comments in the main were about the criminal element attending these "peaceful" rallies to cause chaos and injury to the police who are simply there endeavouring to maintain some order - nothing more nothing less. Bear in mind many of the police might also be against the current government and the monarchy, but their job is to do as they are told. 

 

 

The police are on the wrong side.

 

 

You have to be blind drunk or completely pig ignorant to believe the police are carrying out a public duty. They are looking after the interests of their paymasters, but not the public who pay their taxes.

It's like watching a car crash in slow motion.

Edited August 11, 20214 yr by Sunderland

Homemade bombs using ping-pong balls.  Now THERES an image!  
 

The acts of desperation.  The rebuttals using rubber bullets.  The slow descent into chaos…….  The lack of vaccines alone is not to blame.  It seems it’s the icing on the cake, tho!

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The video of a hundred plus policemen in full riot gear descending on a single, solitary motorbike rider, like a pack of feral dogs, was alarming.

 

The lack of discipline of the police, while hardly unexpected here, needs to be addressed ASAP.

 

Rubber bullets need to be banned ASAP.

 

In the past, regimes needed the hooligans from the technical colleges and border/forest police to do the dirty work. Now, it's the regular police.

 

Protest need to be allowed.

 

I mean they were in 2014, right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 12, 20214 yr by mtls2005

There are other ways than tear gas and rubber bullets that to me is excessive use 

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Bangkok, stopping at locations linked to cabinet members or supporters of Prayuth, who has defended his strategy to fight the virus.

His strategy was to do it on the cheap.... he sold Thai's down the road for a cost saving exercise.

Now it's costing billions and lives.

He should pack-up an move out in embarrassment.

If the police make themselves the enemy of the people, they don't need to be surprised that they are treated as such by said people. I wonder how many more police cars will go up in flames in the days to come.

The excessive police reaction is pointless.  If the Thai people are determined to change the long standing power structure in this country then nothing will stop them.  That said, you can be sure the current mischief makers will go down swinging.

Not much has changed I guess...

 

 

AP WAS THERE: 40 years ago, young Thai protesters massacred

 

Even with experience covering the Vietnam War— he was on one of the last helicopters out when the American presence ended with the communist takeover in April 1975 — Ulevich was stunned by the scale of the violence.

 

https://apnews.com/article/e2625859f9a3413e88dd59623c7fe38d

 

Two days later he snapped his iconic Pulitzer-winning photograph, which cannot be posted here.

 

 

The uses to which a ping pong ball can be put to in Thailand is remarkably extensive.

since yesterday's brutality, the top of thai twitter is "police - human trash" #สามกีบม็อบขยะสังคม

With multiple examples where bystanders were beaten. One of them, with smashed eye and nose, was threatened, that if he goes to hospital, he will be arrested. When journalists gathered to interview him, they were also threatened. Still, he has spoken to journalists.

There were street vendors arrested at the victory monument, just for being there.

Police did attack protest even before it unfolded. 

 https://twitter.com/search?q=%23สามกีบม็อบขยะสังคม&src=trend_click&vertical=trends

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thai police defended their use of force against protesters as a necessary public safety measure

Rubber bullets are not some sort of soft, spongy, safe, and ‘civilized’ policing tactic. They’re typically only rubber coated steel. Take a close look at one and consider what one of these “non-lethal” rounds could do to you. It’s not pretty.

 

12 hours ago, internationalism said:

and mercilessly smacked by buttons.

LOL   555. Sorry Mr I, this is not Cinderella, should be BATONS, but yours is better.

Edited August 12, 20214 yr by KannikaP

I must be in a different time zone to some of the posters on here. Plenty of video clips on Thai news channels of the protesters not being peaceful and destroying property.

31 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Two days later he snapped his iconic Pulitzer-winning photograph, which cannot be posted here.

The guy hanging from a tree and others beating the body with sticks ?

10 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

I must be in a different time zone to some of the posters on here. Plenty of video clips on Thai news channels of the protesters not being peaceful and destroying property.

They are not  protesting about anything, they are paid trouble makers.

1 hour ago, mtls2005 said:

The video of a hundred plus policemen in full riot gear descending on a single, solitary motorbike rider, like a pack of feral dogs, was alarming.

 

The lack of discipline of the police, while hardly unexpected here, needs to be addressed ASAP.

 

Rubber bullets need to be banned ASAP.

 

In the past, regimes needed the hooligans from the technical colleges and border/forest police to do the dirty work. Now, it's the regular police.

 

Protest need to be allowed.

 

I mean they were in 2014, right?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, protests should allowed and those protesting should be allowed to throw bombs, fire hand guns and injure police as they want, throw rocks and what ever else they want - it's now 2021 and self-entitled a rse holes should be allowed to do as they wish, wouldn't you agree? 

1 hour ago, johng said:

The guy hanging from a tree and others beating the body with sticks ?

Like the board-game Clue: lynching victim...at Thammasat, with a folding chair.

 

What is often most striking in lynching photographs is perhaps the faces in the crowd, laughing. You see this in photos of Southern U.S. lynchings too.

 

 

 

 

45 minutes ago, Artisi said:

it's now 2021 and self-entitled a rse holes should be allowed to do as they wish, wouldn't you agree? 

 

Well, in 2014 certain people were allowed to shut-down Bangkok. And evidently that was OK. Had the police marched on Asoke in riot gear, I imagine the salim would have fought back.

 

Early on the current protests were peaceful. But the regime couldn't allow a velvety revolution so they forced protesters into more and more violent situations. 

 

Allow peaceful protests. That's the only solution.

 

 

Civil war in the making - the writing is on the wall ........... 

13 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

 

Well, in 2014 certain people were allowed to shut-down Bangkok. And evidently that was OK. Had the police marched on Asoke in riot gear, I imagine the salim would have fought back.

 

Early on the current protests were peaceful. But the regime couldn't allow a velvety revolution so they forced protesters into more and more violent situations. 

 

Allow peaceful protests. That's the only solution.

 

 

I would agree about peaceful protests but - there is always the element within the push that ensure they create sufficient trouble to get a firm hand reaction so they can then claim police brutality, they then justify to themselves that they are the victims and can now riot as you are now seeing.