Anti-Thai government group plans to hold rally despite bad timing

Even though they admit that the timing isn’t right to try and bring down the current regime, an anti-government group is still plowing on with plans to hold a rally. The Kana Lomruam Prachachon (Melting Pot Group) is planning to rally in central Bangkok this weekend at the Skywalk at Pathumwan intersection. Jatuporn Prompan, the group’s co-leader and chair for the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship say the group accepts that the timing is off.

“We accept that the time right now may not be right to successfully topple the government. In the past 10 years, street protests have rarely been able to directly drive out the government of the day. The decisive factor [in removing the government] has everything to do with how much legitimacy there is left for an administration to govern.”

Still, Jatuporn says it is a people’s movement, which needs time to build momentum. He says the “Three Por” which is a reference to the trio Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prawit Wongsuwon, and Anupong Paojinda who currently have a firm grip on the nation’s government. He went further to accuse the generals of plotting to squash any hopes of a general election.

Although Prayut has been suspended as prime minister pending a Constitutional Court deliberation on his eight-year tenure, the trio is still working to consolidate power. Nitithorn Lamlua, a Melting Pot co-founder, says Prawit and Anupong are currently hashing out a re-distribution of power move that would spread the power among themselves after Prayut’s suspension. Prayut has recently submitted a statement to the court regarding his tenure as prime minister.

In the future, the group says it plans on travelling to universities and other provinces to hold rallies after this weekend’s gathering. Jatuporn says they asked for police permission to hold the rally this weekend and have assured that the disruption to traffic would be minimal.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post