[Most of the protesters, who were calling for elections to be held this year, were contained at Thammasat University in Bangkok’s old quarter, the site of a massacre of student activists four decades ago. But a breakaway group of dozens tried to march toward Government House, the seat of in Thailand’s executive power. The police herded the organizers of that protest cell into vans and shoved away members of the media.]
By Hannah Beech
 |
|
Pro-democracy
activists scuffled with the police before being detained
in
Bangkok on Tuesday, the fourth anniversary of a coup that
returned
the country to military rule. Credit Adam Dean
for
The New York Times
|
BANGKOK
— Amid monsoon downpours,
pro-democracy demonstrators sang and danced at a police barricade in Bangkok on
Tuesday, marking the fourth anniversary of an army coup that again plunged
Thailand into military rule.
The festive atmosphere, though, was undercut
by police broadcasts over loudspeakers warning thatthe protesters, some of whom
had wished to remain anonymous, had been identified through photographs and
video footage. Security provisions imposed by the ruling junta have made any
political gathering of more than four people illegal. Anyone participating in
the demonstration could be considered to have broken the law.
“Many young people are scared to speak out
because they are worried about their future,” said Thanawat Prommajak, a youth
activist whose voice had grown hoarse from yelling into a microphone. “The
military junta wants to crush us.”
Most of the protesters, who were calling for
elections to be held this year, were contained at Thammasat University in
Bangkok’s old quarter, the site of a massacre of student activists four decades
ago. But a breakaway group of dozens tried to march toward Government House,
the seat of in Thailand’s executive power. The police herded the organizers of
that protest cell into vans and shoved away members of the media.
Shortly afterward, the authorities detained
the leaders of the main rally at Thammasat University, which attracted several
hundred people, far short of the thousands the democracy movement had hoped.
Throughout the day, the protesters flashed
the three-finger salute from the Hunger Games films that is meant to signal a
silent defiance of authoritarian governance. Members of the military junta have
called for a ban on the gesture, and at previous rallies the police detained
protesters who were seen using it.
“I am showing that I will never give in to
the military,” said Sirawith Seritiwat, a protest leader who was wearing a
T-shirt with the Hunger Games salute on it. “Even after four years, after being
arrested, after being intimidated, I will never give in to a dictatorship.”
Mr. Sirawith, who briefly fainted after
making speeches in the heat, was later taken away by the police.
After seizing power in 2014, Thailand’s
ruling junta, which calls itself the National Council for Peace and Order,
vowed that it would promptly return power to a civilian administration. But the
military government, led by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, has repeatedly
delayed elections. The latest timeline has voting scheduled for February 2019,
but many Thais have little confidence they will take place then.
“We don’t believe the military government
will hold elections next year because all they do is lie to us,” said Nopakrai
Jaidee, who had camped out overnight at Thammasat to ensure he would be able to
join the demonstration.
The 2014 coup was the second military putsch
aimed at unseating a political force loyal to Thaksin Shinawatra, a former
telecommunications magnate who served as prime minister from 2001 to 2006. Mr.
Thaksin has been praised for standing up to Thailand’s entrenched political
establishment but criticized for the corruption and abuse of power that
flourished during his administration.
His tenure was cut short by army tanks in
2006. The government of his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, was ousted by the 2014
coup. Every election in Thailand this century has brought to power parties
loyal to Mr. Thaksin.
Thailand, which has weathered 12 successful
coups since absolute monarchy was abolished in 1932, has been politically
polarized for more than 15 years. At first, the divisions, in their broadest
terms, set a rural populace against the urban elite. But as Thailand’s military
leaders have lingered, even members of Bangkok’s ruling class have urged a
return to democratic governance.
The junta’s response has been severe. Those
who criticize the military government have been packed off to
“attitude-adjustment camps” run by the army. Just before Tuesday’s protest,
eight members of the Pheu Thai Party, which is affiliated with Mr. Thaksin,
were charged with sedition or with flouting a ban on political activity.
Hundreds of others have been charged with a
range of offenses, including lèse-majesté and contravening the Computer Crime
Act, which rights groups say are politically motivated prosecutions.
Mr. Prayuth, who was army leader when the
coup plotters struck, was welcomed by President Trump to the White House in
October.
“Thailand is nowhere near what the ruling junta
promised would be a rights-respecting democratic country,” said Sunai Phasuk, a
senior researcher on Thailand for Human Rights Watch. “Now more than ever,
pressure from the international community is urgently needed to help Thai
people.”
This month, Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan
indicated that political parties would not be able to resume full activities
next month, as had previously been suggested. Mr. Prawit, who is second in
command in the junta, has been the target of ridicule by the opposition for the
collection of luxury watches he wears.
The timepieces, more than two dozen by one
count, were not declared as assets to the nation’s anti-corruption commission,
as is required for politicians in Thailand. Mr. Prawit says the watches were
lent by friends.
“The government is filled with military men
who hold full authority in their hands,” said Mr. Thanawat, the youth activist.
“They will use that authority to their benefit to keep themselves in power.
That is their goal.”
From the police station where he was taken
after the rally was dissolved, Rangsiman Rome, a student leader of the rally on
Tuesday’, sent a WhatsApp message: “My feeling is sad,” he wrote, “because a
lot of people got hurt and arrested.”
Follow Hannah Beech on Twitter: @hkbeech.