Bangkok gubernatorial candidate Chadchart Sittipunt said he would designate rally areas in the capital for activists to feel safe if he is elected.
Mr Chadchart, who is running as an independent, gave an interview yesterday saying he would designate areas such as the Town Square in front of City Hall or the Thai-Japan Bangkok Youth Centre as places where protests could take place in a safe environment.
He said every district should have public space for people to express their opinions, in addition to virtual space on social media.
"Whoever wants to voice their opinion, just show up and speak," he said. "They can make their voices heard by the public."
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) should facilitate rallies by providing microphones and speakers as well as mobile toilets, he said.
Freedom of expression is a fundamental right guaranteed by the constitution, he said.
He said providing these designated places for demonstrations would ease political tensions.
However, Pannika Wanich, a key member of the pro-democracy Progressive Movement, opposed the idea.
She tweeted that protests must not be limited to any designated areas.
"If we can only protest in certain areas permitted by the government, it means the authority has absolute power to control protests," she said in her tweet.
"If the government does not allow people to protest, then we can not organise a public gathering," she added. "It means people will be robbed of a rightful weapon that we have."
She said a Bangkok governor should facilitate protests wherever they take place.
At the same time, a governor also needs to organise traffic and accommodate people who do not participate without making protests an issue of inconvenience.
Meanwhile, Suchatvee Suwansawat, who is running for governor under the Democrat Party banner, said he would offer free WiFi services across the city if elected.
Yesterday, Mr Suchatvee and his Bangkok Metropolitan Council candidates for Bang Rak district visited the Soi Phiphat 2 community to promote his campaign, saying he would endorse the setting up of 150,000 WiFi hotspots across the capital.
Mr Sakoltee also said he would improve security camera systems by managing them via 24-hour online connectivity.
Sakoltee Phattiyakul, former deputy Bangkok governor now running as an independent, visited Lat Phrao-Saphan Sung and said he would build a new market if elected.
Mr Sakoltee said he would solve the contaminated water problem by cleaning canals and publicising damage caused by improper waste disposal.
