[ Mothership ] Thai protesters continue street rallies demanding PM to resign over failure to handle Covid-19
In a bid to oust the Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, daily protests are expected to continue at the same location in the coming days, Nattawut reportedly told protestors on Sep. 5.
The most recent protests at Asoke marked a step up from the previous “car mob” protests, where people swarmed the streets of Bangkok in their vehicles, a move to evade Covid-19 restrictions on mass gatherings, as per the Associated Press (AP).
Recently, discontentment among the people towards the Thai premier has risen, as his administration is widely believed to be incompetent in handling the Covid-19 pandemic, Al Jazeera reported.
Thailand has been logging over 14,000 new Covid-19 cases every day, with over 13,000 deaths recorded thus far, while less than 12 per cent of the population have been fully vaccinated, according to Reuters.
Prayuth survived his third vote of no-confidence in parliament on Sep. 4, with almost half of the House of Representatives voting to remove him, reported Nikkei Asia.
The former army general and five of his ministers were reportedly “grilled” by the opposition due to their “poor handling of the country’s Covid-19 crisis”
Speaking to the Bangkok Post, one of the organisers of the protest, Sombat Boonngam-anong, said Asoke will serve as the base of the “peaceful” protests until the prime minister steps down.
In the event that Prayuth does not step down, a permanent structure will be erected at the intersection until the demand is met.
Apart from coordinating with the police to ensure their protests are not in close proximity to “sensitive symbolic grounds”, a special lane will also be designated for emergency vehicles to pass through, Sombat added.
DPA Notes: So would there be another military coup to bring order to the country and bring down their former military leader? The never-ending cycle of protests and coups in Thailand…