Well-known protest leaders plan to launch a protest to oust the Paetongtarn Shinawatra government in Bangkok this Saturday over its handling of territorial issues with Cambodia.
Jatuporn Prompan and other protest leaders showed up at the Victory Monument on Sunday to announce the plan to stage the protest there in six days' time.
He said the demonstration was aimed at protecting the sovereignty of Thailand. There would be a stage set up at Victory Monument and people who shared the same stance could gather at the protest venue in the afternoon of June 28.
Mr Jatuporn said singers would start their performances on Saturday afternoon, with protest leaders appearing on stage at 4pm. The rally was set to run between 4pm and 9pm.
He said his group would discuss the rally plan with the Metropolitan Police Bureau on Monday.
Another rally leader, Parnthep Pourpongpan, said their group chose Victory Monument as the protest venue due to the symbolism of the monument, which was built to commemorate Thailand’s victory in a territorial conflict.
The monument is a major landmark of Bangkok. It is located in a spot where four roads — Phaya Thai, Ratchawithi, Phahon Yothin and Asok-Din Daeng — have intersected since 1942. It marks the sacrifice made by Thai soldiers, police and civilians in a war between Thailand and France over disputed territories in French Indochina between 1940 and 1941.
Kaewsan Atibhodi said the planned protest would affect people because it would block commuters’ routes. He apologised for the possible impact and said his group was forced to organise the protest to address national problems.
The protest was planned to protect national sovereignty and oust the prime minister because people still did not know what secrets were shared with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen and could be used to make demands from the Thai prime minister, Mr Kaewsan said.
He apparently referred to the controversial phone conversation between Ms Paetongtarn and Hun Sen. Its recording was leaked and sparked heavy criticism of Ms Paetongtarn’s handling of the protection of national interest.
Nititorn Lamlua said that his group would discuss protest details with Bangkok police on Monday morning to minimise the impact on the general public.