Published 19:05 IST, November 26th 2020
Thailand: Pro-democracy protesters storm streets, ask king to renounce royal fortune
Angry protesters in Thailand squared off with security forces as they insulted monarchy, condemned king and police that blocked access to Crown Property Bureau.
On November 25, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators flooded Thailand's Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) to protest as they demanded that the Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn renounces royalty and cedes his estimated $2.3 billion (€1.94 billion) fortune, including a 23 per cent stake in Siam Commercial Bank. Angry pro-democracy protesters squared off with the security forces as they insulted the monarchy, condemning the king and police officers that blocked their access to the Crown Property Bureau by using barbed wires, barricades, and water cannons. According to the sources of the British Herald, demonstrators criticized the law that made questioning the royalty a punishable offence, with prison time of up to 15 years in Thailand.
Activist Anon Nampa, told reporters of Deutsche Welle that the protesters wanted to challenge the age-long taboo and demanded that the king ceded the national assets he procured under the guise of monarchy, the state, and the country. Demonstrators flashed banners that read, ‘People demand back national assets from the king, as they chanted slogans pertaining to rights of the citizens. Some protesters were quoted saying that in these very testing times of the coronavirus pandemic, families were struggling and grieving due to the loss of jobs. This calls for the destabilizing the “luxury” enjoyed by one family in Thailand living off the taxpayers' money.
Detained at least 12 activists
The movement intensified after the Thai police detained at least 12 activists on offenses related to the “insult of the king.” Further, the Thai government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek defended the controversial law while addressing the state press. Asserting their right to freedom of speech and expression, civilians set up protest rallies outside the parliament, which turned violent as police used coercion to deter the mob from breaking in. At least 55 demonstrators were wounded after protesters confronted the police and violent clashed broke out. According to sources British Herald, the police estimated that the crowd was an estimated 8,000 in count in one of the biggest political turnouts.
[Protest was moved to the SCB headquarters after police built barricades. Photo Credit: Twitter/@Completeanar]
[International human rights groups condemned the charges and detention. Photo Credit: @thandojo/Twitter]
Updated 19:03 IST, November 26th 2020