Thai royalist groups will gather on Silom Road, in Bangkok’s CBD, on Monday to rally public support for its campaign to oust Amnesty International from Thailand for alleged interference in the country’s internal affairs.
They plan to rally in front of the Silom Complex building at 11am and then march to Narathiwat Road, make a U-turn and return to their starting point.
Former Democrat MP Tankhun Jitt-itsara sent a message on Friday via his Line group, urging the media to cover the rally tomorrow.
Yesterday, Seksakol Atthawong, vice minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, issued a statement addressed to Amnesty International Thailand (AIT), AI’s representative office in Thailand, alleging that its campaign, urging Thais and people in other countries to write letters to the Thai government demanding that it stops harassing anti-establishment activists, amounts to encouraging violations of the country’s laws.
AIT’s campaign follows the Thai Constitutional Court’s ruling on November 10th, which found that calls for reform of the monarchy are unconstitutional.
He alleged that, in the past several months, human rights organizations, including AIT, have been indirectly abetting protests by anti-establishment protesters, who resorted to the use of explosives against state property and officials.
“Such misconduct, which was carried out in the name of freedom, cannot be described as democracy but anarchy,” said Seksakol.
