Nonthaburi protesters threw fermented fish at PM Prayut’s van

Yesterday’s visit to Nonthaburi may not have gone exactly as planned for PM Prayut Chan-o-cha as he was met by a horde of disapproving local residents including some protesters that threw smelly fermented fish at his van.

The Prime Minister was greeted by both supporters and opponents as he came to inspect the flood wall along the Chao Phraya River. Authorities had feared that with the runoff from the heavy storms in the North and the dams above releasing massive amounts of water, Bangkok could be hit with overflowing floods. Fortunately, the flowing river stayed 1.5 metres below the embankment so far.

PM Prayut has been making the rounds in Thailand, surveying various flooded areas and inspecting flood preparations. But as the Prime Minister arrived at the Nonthaburi Pier, protesters recognized his van and shouted and show their disapproval. Video footage showed angry residents throwing water bottles and fermented fish, known for its strong odour. Some were even seen kicking the van as it drove through the crowd.

Crowd control police took action to corral the protesters with the prime minister’s security team coordinating with police to keep PM Prayut out of harm’s way. Being pushed back and restricted only furthered the crowd’s anger.

Prime Minister Prayut then jumped on a boat to survey the flood walls before stopping at Kiak Kai Pier where he seemed to receive a more friendly reception from members of the Talad Kwan community. His security team brought his van to that location to pick him up.

In Chaiyaphum on Wednesday, PM Prayut was met with opposition as well, with protesters shouting at him until police called them an embarrassment to the province. Today Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan will travel on a similar mission to Nakhon Ratchasima in the northeast to survey the flooding situation in the province.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World