Thai prime minister rejects calls to resign, braces for renewed protest

Thailand's prime minister rejected calls for his resignation Friday (Oct 16) as his government stepped up efforts to stop student-led protesters from rallying in the administrative centre for another day in defiance of a strict state of emergency.

Police closed roads and put up barricades around a major Bangkok intersection where in fact the protesters have vowed to assemble again to push their cored demands, including that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha leaves office, the constitution be amended and the country's monarchy undergo reform.

Police in riot gear moved into the area, while malls in the normally busy shopping district were closing early. Nearby mass transit stations were being closed to avoid crowds of protesters from getting near to the area. As well as the security measures, heavy monsoon rains threatened to keep crowd numbers lower than the thousands that gathered the night time before.

The student protesters said they might simply rally just outside at another large intersection.

Prayut's government declared a strict new state of emergency for the capital on Thursday, a day after protesters gathered in a different part of the metropolis heckled a royal motorcade. 

Such actions are unprecedented in Thailand, where those looking forward to a royal motorcade regularly take a seat on the bottom or prostrate themselves.

The state of emergency outlaws public gatherings greater than five persons and bans the dissemination of news that's deemed to threaten national security. In addition, it gives authorities broad powers, including detaining persons at length at no cost.

About 10,000 protesters defied the decree Thursday to rally at the Bangkok intersection.

Numerous protest leaders have already been rounded up since the decree went into effect. 

On Friday another two activists were arrested under a law covering violence against the queen because of their alleged part in the heckling of the motorcade. They could confront life in prison if convicted.

The protest movement premiered in March by university students and its own original core demands were new elections, changes in the constitution to make it more democratic, and a finish to intimidation of activists.

The protesters charge that Prayut, who as army commander led a 2014 coup that toppled an elected government, was returned to power unfairly in last year’s general election because laws have been changed to favor a pro-military party.

However, the movement took a beautiful submit August when students at a rally aired unprecedented criticism of the monarchy and issued demands for its reform. 

Using direct language normally expressed in whispers if, the speakers criticized the king’s wealth, his influence, and that he spends much of his time beyond your country.

Thailand’s royal family is definitely considered sacrosanct and a pillar of Thai identity. King Maha Vajiralongkorn and other key persons in the royal family are protected by a lese majeste law that has regularly been used to silence critics who risk up to 15 years in prison if deemed to have insulted the institution.

Conservative royalist Thais accuse the protest movement of wanting to end the monarchy, an allegation its leaders deny.

Wednesday's incident with the royal motorcade was stunned many Thais. Videos that circulated widely showed members of a tiny crowd heckling a motorcade carrying Queen Suthida and Prince Dipangkorn as it slowly passed. Security personnel stood between your vehicles and the crowd and there was no obvious violence and none was described by witnesses.

Prayut’s declaration of circumstances of emergency said the measure was necessary because “certain sets of perpetrators designed to instigate an untoward incident and movement in the Bangkok area by the method of various methods and via different channels, including triggering obstruction to the royal motorcade.”

Prayut said Friday that he previously no plans to resign as he had done nothing wrong. 

He said his government hopes it could drop the state of emergency ahead of its normal 30-day duration “if the problem improves quickly”.

The legal aid group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights said at least 51 persons have already been arrested since Tuesday in connection with the protests.

Police on Friday went to search the offices of the Progressive Movement, a group formed by former lawmakers from a reform-minded political party that was controversially dissolved by the Constitutional Court.

Both activists charged over the incident with the queen are Ekachai Hongkangwan and Paothong Bunkueanum.

Ekachai is a veteran activist who has been physically attacked several times, in apparent response to his criticism of the military. Paothong, a university student, has been involved in organizing the protests.

The Wednesday incident in which the two were allegedly involved was beautiful to many Thais because, by tradition and law, members of the royal family are treated with the most respect.

“We weren't notified by the authorities of the upcoming royal motorcade where we had no chance of knowing because these were not informing us,” Paothong told reporters Friday.

“After we knew that there was a motorcade of the queen and the heir presumptive to the throne I tried to break from the line and use my megaphone to have everyone move from the police barriers therefore the motorcade can pass through easily,” he said.

The Ministry of Digital Economy, meanwhile, announced it could file complaints with police covering five Twitter accounts and five Facebook accounts inviting people to await Friday's rally. 

Such posting could possibly be deemed illegal under the state of emergency, as well as other laws.