Anti-establishment Ratsadon followers are gathering in front of Thailand’s parliament, while another group are rallying at the Democracy Monument, apparently due to a miscommunication between the two groups.
Panasaya Sitthijirawattanakul, a core leader of the Ratsadon group, told the media at the protest site that they will stay in front of parliament until 9pm, after which they will disperse.
She said that the protesters will hold an informal censure debate against the government, with speakers taking turns to address the crowd, adding that the protesters will block only two lanes of the four-lane road.
She admitted that the crowd might be small, because many people are still worried about COVID-19 and they have not held mass rallies for almost two months.
She insisted that the demands of the Ratsadon group remain unchanged, namely the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, a new constitution and reform of the monarchy.
Separately, a group calling itself the “Progressive Red” started gathering near the Democracy Monument at about 3.30pm, with food supplies and a pickup truck equipped with loudspeakers.
Some protesters said that they didn’t know there was another rally in front of parliament. One of the speakers, who began addressing the crowd, said that they would not move to parliament because the protest site there would not be safe if there were a clash between protesters and the police.
