BackThai army shuts part of Bangkok train network to combat protests
The protesters called off a rally in Ratchaprasong after thousands of security personnel blocked roads
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Bangkok: Thailand’s military junta closed down parts of Bangkok’s elevated train system on Sunday as groups of people opposed to the 22 May coup held small demonstrations in the heart of the capital’s tourist district.
The protesters called off a rally in Ratchaprasong, home to Bangkok’s biggest malls, after thousands of security personnel blocked roads and the operator of the city’s elevated train system was ordered to halt services to some stations. Instead, the protesters gathered outside the Terminal 21 shopping mall on Sukhumvit Road, which is surrounded by five-star hotels.
Hundreds of demonstrators stood on an elevated walkway outside the mall, chanting ‘Democracy’ in English and Thai and holding signs saying ‘Junta, get out’." The military played patriotic songs from their vehicles, and later closed the mall and a train station linked to the building. Normal rail service was restored at 3:30 pm local time, the system announced on its official twitter feed.
Junta leader Prayuth Chan-Ocha two days earlier said it may take at least a year to return Thailand to civilian rule because an interim administration will need time to implement electoral reforms and unify the country, and reiterated a warning that protests won’t be tolerated.
It will not happen if there are still protests without a true understanding of democracy, Prayuth said in a nationally televised speech on 30 May. All we are asking for is give us time to reform in order to mend our democratic system.
The army has said it had no choice except to seize power in Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy to end more than six months of political turmoil that led to an annulled election in February and the ouster of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra by the courts three months later. Protests have sprung up in Bangkok and the northern city of Chiang-Mai in defiance of martial law that was imposed two days before the coup.
Suthep’s Protest
The military and the police tolerated months of street rallies led by opposition politician Suthep Thaugsuban, and allowed the group to blockade parts of Bangkok and occupy government buildings without being arrested. Today, a lone protester in the city’s main shopping district was detained by undercover security officials for defying the junta’s ban on demonstrations, the Bangkok Post reported.
Prayuth’s plan to restore unity broadly reflects the demands of Suthep’s movement, which had called on the army to seize power and replace Yingluck’s government with an unelected council. Supporters of the ousted administration have accused the army, the courts and state agencies including the Election Commission of colluding with Suthep’s supporters to provide the army with a justification to seize power.
Suthep had called for laws to be rewritten to erase the influence of the Shinawatra family from politics. Yingluck’s brother Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 coup and parties linked to him have won the past five elections.
‘More Conflicts’
Thaksin’s opponents say his electoral dominance is based on economically damaging populist policies and accuse him of corruption, abuse of power and disrespect for the monarchy. Thaksin lives in self-imposed exile abroad to avoid a jail sentence in a corruption case he says was politically motivated.
“We cannot keep fighting each other just because we think differently, or use the law to our own advantage," Prayuth said in his 30 May speech. “This will only create more conflicts. People will be unhappy and the country will be unstable and lose its credibility among the international community. All sides must cooperate and unite."
The junta has detained hundreds of people since the coup, including Yingluck, activists from both sides of the political divide, academics and journalists, sparking the condemnation of foreign governments and human rights groups.
The US scrapped joint military programs with Thailand in the days after the coup, and the European Union called on the junta to release detainees.
‘Grave Concerns’
Australia’s government on Saturday expressed grave concerns about the actions of Thailand’s military, and said it will prevent coup leaders from visiting, in a foreign affairs department statement. It also postponed three joint activities with the Thai military planned in the coming weeks.
“Thailand isn’t retreating from democracy," permanent secretary for foreign affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow told reporters on Sunday in Singapore, adding that he hoped Australia and the US will focus on their long-term relationship with Thailand. Bloomberg
Sharon Chen in Singapore also contributed to this story.
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