Democracy youth plan more rallies

Demonstrators confront police in riot gear Wednesday night at Suan Luang Square, where they gathered to demand the release protest leaders detained at nearby Pathumwan police station. Photo by Pornprom Satrabhaya
Demonstrators confront police in riot gear Wednesday night at Suan Luang Square, where they gathered to demand the release protest leaders detained at nearby Pathumwan police station. Photo by Pornprom Satrabhaya

Pro-democracy groups have vowed to intensify their protests and lead two million people to rally this year.

Panusaya "Rung" Sithijirawattanakul, one of the protest leaders announced the plan including the goal of two million protesters a day after a Bangkok court held four of their leaders on royal defamation charges.

Activists on Wednesday gathered at Pathumwan intersection for a second consecutive day to demand the immediate release of leaders, she said.

About 1,000 protesters gathered and called for the release of the four protest leaders, who are Parit Chiwarak, Arnon Nampa, Patiwat Saraiyaem and Somyot Prueksakasemsuk. Activists occupied the road and the skywalk in front of the MBK Centre amid tight security from crowd control police officers. The protesters booed the officers and beat pans and pots that they had brought with them.

Adopting the belief of the Myanmar people that banging pots can dispel evil spirits, core protest leader Panupong Jadnok added that they use empty pots because they are now too poor to buy rice.

Besides releasing their leaders, the protesters insisted on the three demands they have mentioned in previous protests: the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, charter change and reform of the monarchy.

While the protest started around 4pm, the protesters at around 7.30pm marched to Pathumwan police station to demand their release. At about 8.20pm, explosion sounds were heard three times in Chula Soi 5, behind the police station. Chaos ensued but nobody was hurt. A teargas cartridge was found later. The protesters dispersed around 9pm.

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Vocabulary

  • activists (noun): people who take part in activities that are intended to achieve political or social change, especially someone who is a member of an organisation - นักกิจกรรม
  • booed: made expressions of strong disapproval or disagreement - คำอุทานแสดงการเหยียดหยามการไม่เห็นด้วย, โห่ฮิ้ว
  • charter: a constitution - รัฐธรรมนูญ
  • consecutive: following one after another in order - ติดต่อกัน
  • defamation: the offence of writing or saying something bad about someone that is not true and makes people have a bad opinion of them - การใส่ร้าย
  • dispel (verb): to make something go away or disappear - ขับไล่, ไล่, กำจัด
  • disperse: (of a crowd of people) to separate and leave in different directions  - สลายฝูงชน
  • evil: very bad or cruel - ชั่วร้าย
  • intensify (verb): to increase in degree or strength - ทำให้แรงขึ้น, ทำให้หนาแน่นขึ้น
  • occupied: (of a place) controlled by a group of people, a country, etc. - ครอบครอง
  • protest: a meeting or rally, sometimes forceful or violent, of people who strongly disagree with something - ชุมนุมประท้วง
  • protest: to make a strong complaint or disagreement - ประท้วง
  • reform (noun): improving a system, an organisation, a law, etc. by making changes to it - การแก้ไข, การปรับปรุง,
  • release: allowing someone to go free - การปล่อยตัว
  • resignation: the act of leaving a job, position of power, etc. - การลาออกจากตำแหน่ง
  • spirit (noun): the soul thought of as separate from the body and believed to live on after death; a ghost - วิญญาณ
  • tear gas: a gas used by some police and armed forces to control crowds of people. It hurts the eyes and makes them produce tears - ก๊าซน้ำตา
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