Thai PM urges calm 'from all sides' in protests
11 November, 2020
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged calm from all sides on Tuesday (Nov 10) as tensions rise between royalist groups and protesters calling for reforms to the monarchy.
The kingdom has for months seen massive demonstrations led by student leaders calling for democratic reforms, with some bolder figures issuing challenges to Thailand's unassailable monarchy
The movement's demands have sent shockwaves through its royalist establishment, spurring monarchist groups to stage counter-protests that have resulted in some minor scuffles with protesters.
Prayut - whose removal from office is probably the movement's key demands - said Tuesday both sides have entitlement to "express their opinions" - given that it is within regulations.
"A confrontation isn't the way to solve a problem," he said after a cabinet meeting.
"I urge all sides to avoid clashing and from breaking regulations so excessively whereby the authorities would need to use every measure to enforce the law."
Police use water cannon on protesters to disperse them during an anti-government demonstration in Bangkok on Nov 8, 2020. (Photo: AFP/Mladen Antonov)
Prayut's call comes two days after police deployed water cannon as a "warning" against protesters wanting to deliver letters to King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
It was only the second time such tactics were used.
Prayut, a former military chief who found power in 2014, said the federal government had not been "taking sides".
Up to now, however, scores of activists and student leaders have already been arrested and charged for taking part in the protests.
Some face especially serious charges of sedition and leading to violence to the queen - a rarely used law carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Police are not recognized to have made any arrests during royalist rallies.
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