Thailand Protest News
Thailand protest news, political demonstrations, and social movements—stay updated with real-time reports, analysis, and insights on public gatherings and their impact. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for protest news in Thailand.
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France Saturday: 105,000 protest vaccine, 303,669 get Covid-19
French President Emmanuel Macron made waves recently when he came out hard against unvaccinated people saying that he would make life harder for them and “piss off” those who refused inoculation as it hurts the society as a whole. Yesterday, over 100,000 people came out to protest the government restricting the rights of people who refuse a vaccine all across…
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Pro-democracy activists rally in Bangkok, call for lèse-majesté law to be abolished
An anti-establishment protest in Bangkok passed off without incident yesterday, as activists called for Thailand’s lèse-majesté law to be revoked. The law, also known as section 112 of the Criminal Code, prohibits defaming, criticising, or otherwise insulting the monarchy. Pro-democracy protesters gathered at the Ratchaprasong intersection in the capital yesterday afternoon, with the protest organised by a group called the…
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Traffic expected as 4 separate protests planned tonight in Bangkok
Four different groups of demonstrators are planning protests in 4 different areas around Bangkok and the Metropolitan Police Bureau is warning that traffic around the city is likely to be affected. Police have already made preparations to deal with the hordes of protesters expected, and will be fully equipped to maintain law and order at each of the four rally…
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Pro-democracy activist Panusaya given temporary release to sit university exam
Political activist Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, aka, “Rung”, has been given temporary release to sit an exam and submit university reports. Thai PBS World reports that the activist was freed from Bangkok’s Central Women’s Correctional Institute at around 8pm last night. She was met by her parents and supporters, having spent 17 days behind bars. The pro-democracy activist is being tried on…
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Truckers protest diesel prices at Ministry of Energy
A protest by truckers took place on a Bangkok highway yesterday to bring attention to the high price of diesel. The truckers are calling for a cap on fuel prices, and drove in a convoy to the Ministry of Energy to make their demands known. The drivers parked their trucks along 4 roads around Bangkok, according to the Bangkok Post.…
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Protesters opposing PM visit detained by police in Krabi
A number of activists opposing the visit of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to the southern province of Krabi were detained by police yesterday. Thai PBS World reports that the 5 activists rallied at the province’s Ao Nang beach to protest a visit by the Thai leader. The PM and members of his administration were in Krabi for a mobile Cabinet meeting…
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2 anti-government protesters shot in Bangkok as German embassy accepts letter from activists
At least 2 anti-government protesters were shot during yesterday’s rally in Bangkok, which culminated with activists delivering a letter to the German Embassy. (Some reports in Thai media say 3 protesters were shot.) Protest leader Thatchapong Kaedam said the letter informed the embassy of a recent Constitutional Court verdict that ruled that 3 activists were guilty of plotting to overthrow…
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Protesters march to German embassy, present statement against monarchy
Today saw a large and intense pro-democracy demonstration that culminated in a march to the German embassy where protesters submitted a statement against absolute monarchy. When they arrived, 3 representatives of the protesters were allowed to enter the embassy and officially present the declaration which stated that they were calling for a protection of democracy and an opposition to a…
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Hackers seized Constitutional Court website after protester ruling
In response to the Constitutional Court making a controversial decision that pro-democracy demonstrations, and the speeches leaders gave at them, were considered an illegal attempt to overthrow the government and monarchy, computer hackers took over the Court’s website homepage and did some redecorating. The website was hacked and text was changed to display the phrase “kangaroo court” – a slang…
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Government defends lèse majesté law against UN criticism
Following criticism from a number of United Nations member states, the Thai government has defended the country’s controversial lèse majesté law. The law, or section 112 of the Criminal Code, prohibits insulting, defaming, or criticising the Thai monarchy and carries a penalty of up to 15 years in jail. Reuters reports that yesterday, a number of UN member countries voiced…
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Court: activists’ speeches illegally advocated government overthrow
Today the Constitutional Court ruled that activists and the speeches of 3 activist leaders are advocating for the overthrow of the government and the monarchy. They ordered Arnon Nampa, Panupong “Mike” Jadnok, and Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul and all their followers to cease all action against the kingdom and state. According to the court, the demands in speeches by the 3…
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Aide to Thai PM says repealing lèse majesté law would be “impossible”
A representative of the PM’s Secretariat Office has described Thailand’s controversial lèse majesté law as untouchable, amid calls for it to be repealed. According to a Bangkok Post report, Thipanan Sirichana says repealing the law, formally known as Section 112 of the Criminal Code, would contravene the constitution. She says Thailand’s constitution dictates that the king’s position is one of…
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12 children and a journalist held in riot police officer shooting
A group of 13 people were held for questioning at Din Daeng flats in Bangkok in the early hours of this morning after an incident late last night saw a riot policeman shot. The group rounded up by police consisted of one staff member of an independent media organisation and 12 teenagers and younger children. Tensions have been rising in…
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Thammasat University Massacre – 45 year on | VIDEO
Yesterday marked the 45th anniversary of the infamous October 6 massacre at Thammasat University in Bangkok in 1976, when 4,000 police and military forces blocked all exits from the university before firing machine guns, assault rifles, grenade launchers, and other military-grade weapons on the students after increased anti-government protests. Officially, some 45 people were killed and over 145 injured, but…
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Activists petition to stop emergency decree being used to curtail freedom of speech
A human rights NGO has petitioned the Civil Court to abolish the government’s use of the emergency decree to quash freedom of expression. The Internet Law Reform Dialogue group filed the petition against the PM, Prayut Chan-o-cha, and the relevant authorities. According to a Bangkok Post report, iLaw manager Yingcheep Atchanond, feminist activist Chutima Tangkliang, and Atthapol Buapat from the…
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Police arrest protesters yesterday including naked woman
Anti-government protests have escalated in recent weeks and have begun to resemble a Hollywood movie, full of conflict and drama and explosions, and now… nudity? Among the arrests and charges of protesters stemming from yesterday’s demonstrations at Nang Lerng intersection orchestrated by the Talufah group, police say one woman faces charges of indecent exposure for stripping naked in protest. The…
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Police arrest 78 protesters, bystanders, medics and minors
Last night, protesters and crowd control police met at Din Daeng in a heated confrontation that resulted in 78 people being arrested including bystanders, volunteer medics, and even underage people. Those who were taken into custody were held in several different police facilities, and the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights observed and reported on the arrests. They said 20 people…
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Bangkok police to ramp up counter-protest measures
Police in Bangkok say they’ll get tougher on anti-government protest action, but without resorting to violence, according to a Bangkok Post report. Piya Tawichai from the Metropolitan Police Bureau says there is a need to control activists rallying at the Din Daeng intersection in order to keep law and order. However, he adds that the capital’s residents will not be…
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Bangkok court denies request for arrest warrants for anti-government protesters
A Bangkok court has rejected a request to issue arrests warrants for 2 anti-government protesters. News of the activists’ potential arrest led to a planned rally being cancelled. However, the Bangkok South Municipal Court has decreed that as the charges in question carry a prison term of no more than 3 years, police must first issue a summons for the…
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Protesters at Bangkok’s Asok intersection call on PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign
Protesters gathered at Bangkok’s Asok interaction yesterday, calling on PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign. For the past year, pro-democracy groups have been pushing for the prime minister to step down, but with the latest wave of Covid-19 surpassing more than 1 million infections, along with a limited supply of vaccines, protesters now say Prayut should resign due to mismanagement during…
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More anti-government protests in Bangkok today, day 2 of no-confidence debate
Police in Bangkok are preparing for more anti-government protests today, with 2,250 officers on duty to patrol rallies by 3 different groups. Today is day 2 of the no-confidence debate against the government, with protests planned by Ratsadorn Taliban, Ramkhamhaeng for Democracy, and Thalugas, with each group meeting in different areas of the capital. According to a Bangkok Post report,…
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Anti-government protesters arrested after police officer injured at weekend rally
Following Sunday’s anti-government protest in Bangkok, 2 activists have been arrested after video footage allegedly showed them injuring a police officer. The Bangkok Post reports that the pair are among a total of 27 protesters arrested, according to Pakapong Pongpetra from the Metropolitan Police Bureau. He says 13 of the detainees are minors and 2 are women. Sunday’s rally began…
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Daily protests to continue indefinitely until PM resigns, according to protesters
Anti-government activists have vowed that protests will take place around the country every day and go on indefinitely until the Thai PM resigns. Protest leaders Sombat Boonngamanong and Nattawut Saikuar were speaking following the conclusion of a peaceful “car mob” rally, which ended in the central province of Pathum Thani. The rally had begun at the Kasetsart intersection near Kasetsart…
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Red Shirts to lead anti-government “car mob” protest on Sunday
An anti-government protest planned for Bangkok on Sunday will be led by 2 prominent Red Shirt activists, ahead of a no-confidence debate in parliament. The Bangkok Post reports that Sombat Boonngamanong and Nattawut Saikuar will lead the “car mob” rally, which will take place at 2pm in front of the Thai PBS office on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road. Posting on Facebook,…
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Protester injured and loses sight in one eye, family plans legal action
A 29 year old protester injured in a Bangkok rally last week has lost sight in one eye. Tanat Thanakitamnuay’s family says his right eye was hit by a “blunt cylindrical object” – which Coconuts Bangkok says was a tear gas canister – tearing the cornea, rupturing the eyeball, and causing his retina to peel off. Several protesters have been injured…
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Amnesty International demands investigation into shooting of protesters
Amnesty International Thailand is calling for a full investigation into the shooting of young anti-government protesters, with 1 teenager currently in a coma. The unnamed 15 year old was shot in the back of the neck, while a 14 and 16 year old were also shot. The father of the 14 year old has already filed a police complaint. However,…
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Parit’s bail request rejected, after activist allegedly contracted Covid-19 in prison
A bail application for jailed political activist Parit Chiwarak, aka, “Penguin”, has been rejected, with his lawyer saying he has also tested positive for Covid-19. 7 other activists had their bail requests rejected at the same hearing. All 8 have been charged over an anti-government protest at police headquarters in the central province of Pathum Thani on August 2. According…
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PM’s office to file charges against red-shirt leader over Sunday’s protest
The government is seeking to press charges against red-shirt leader Nattawut Saikuar over protests in Bangkok on Sunday. According to a Bangkok Post report, Seksakol Atthawong from the office of PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, has confirmed that a complaint has been lodged with the Crime Suppression Division. Nattawut is accused of sedition and of violating the emergency decree and the disease…
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Violent scenes erupt in Bangkok at largest anti-government rally to date
Yesterday’s anti-government protest in Bangkok led to violent scenes as police and protesters clashed near the Din Daeng intersection of the capital. The Bangkok Post reports that violence broke out towards the end of what was the largest “car mob” rally to date. It’s understood that at around 5pm, some younger protesters moved away from the main protests and gathered…
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Nida Poll shows half don’t agree with aggressive protests
While the pro-democracy movement had gained support, the recent escalating protests with clashes with violence and destruction may have done more harm than good, as a new poll shows that just over half the respondents disagree with the protest on August 7 and believe the Free Youth group have backers. The National Institute of Development Administration conducted the poll by…
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