Pro-Palestinean protest planned in Bangkok today, police on high alert
Bangkok police are preparing for the International Quds Day gathering at about 2pm today, March 13, increasing security planning and surveillance measures around diplomatic premises and other sensitive venues, amid the heightened Middle East tensions.
The Metropolitan Police Bureau has been reviewing the situation with other security agencies and adjusting its readiness accordingly.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Sayam Boonsom, the bureau chief, said that earlier this week, police held meetings to evaluate risks and set out operational steps, reported Bangkok Post.
Based on previous years, police anticipate a gathering at around 2pm today outside the Embassy of Israel in Bangkok, an area overseen by Lumpini Police Station.
International Quds Day is an annual pro-Palestinian event held on the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan to express support for Palestinians. The event typically draws roughly 300 pro-Palestinian participants, who hold activities to call for peace for Palestinians.
This year, police are applying tighter controls due to the intensified regional tensions, with ongoing hostilities involving Israel, the United States and Iran.
Officers are concerned that the current situation could increase the risk of violence or that third parties may seek to incite unrest. In response, uniformed police are expected to be positioned at the protest location and surrounding streets.
The Metropolitan Police Bureau chief noted that Initial evaluations still suggest conditions are normal, but police will remain on high alert.
According to police, the operation extends beyond ground patrols, with officers also monitoring social media amid concern the escalating conflict could fuel radicalisation or provoke extreme reactions in some groups.
Police have also instructed all metropolitan stations to be ready and have reinforced security at embassies of countries directly involved in the conflict, along with those of their allies.
Additional attention is being paid to places commonly visited by Israeli residents and tourists in Bangkok. Police identified the Chabad-Lubavitch House on Phra Athit Road in Phra Nakhon district as one such location.
The site serves as a Jewish community centre that also operates as a synagogue and kosher restaurant, hosting religious and cultural events.
Officers from Chana Songkhram Police Station are patrolling the area around the clock, and parking has been banned nearby under tightened security measures.
Additionally, a March 9 post on the Facebook page PSC Thailand said the gathering is planned outside the Embassy of Israel in Bangkok from 2pm to 4pm, describing it as an action against what it called “US-Israeli aggression.”
PSC Thailand describes itself as an independent, non-governmental and non-party political organisation with members across Thailand, including both Thai and non-Thai participants.
In a separate incident, a Phuket restaurant owner defended his decision to refuse service to an Israeli man, saying the foreigner provoked a confrontation by demanding he remove a Palestinian flag displayed inside the restaurant.
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