Thailand’s indefatigable pro-democracy activists took to Bangkok's streets again Sunday, this time to protest the army as they push forward with their campaign for sweeping reforms, including to the nation's monarchy.
Around 800 protesters gathered in the afternoon and in early evening marched to the base of the 11th Infantry Regiment, which is closely associated with the country’s royal palace. Their number grew to well over 1,000 as they settled in for speeches by protest leaders.
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Thailand’s indefatigable pro-democracy activists took to Bangkok's streets again Sunday, this time to protest the army as they push forward with their campaign for sweeping reforms, including to the nation's monarchy.
The protesters believe that the army undermines democracy in Thailand, and that King Maha Vajiralongkorn wields too much power and influence in what is supposed to be a democratic constitutional monarchy.
The protesters also want Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his government to step down and the constitution to be amended to make it more democratic.
Last year, the 11th Infantry Regiment was shifted from the army’s chain of command and made part of the Royal Security Command, answerable directly to the king. The action was one of several denounced by protesters as an example of the palace taking powers that should not be allowed under constitutional rule.
While most coups are bloodless, the army has not hesitated to use force to crush threats to the established order.
Police stand guard behind barbed wire and a row of large vehicles barricading the base entrance of the 11th Infantry Regiment, a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, as they await for the arrival of protesters Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020, in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
A protester cuts barbed wire blocking the base entrance of the 11th Infantry Regiment, a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020, in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
Protesters try to get through barbed wire barricading the base entrance of the 11th Infantry Regiment, a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
A protester is seen behind rolls of barbed wire barricading the base entrance of the 11th Infantry Regiment, a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020, in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
Police stand guard behind barbed wire barricading the base entrance of the 11th Infantry Regiment, a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, as they await for the arrival of protesters Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
Police stand guard behind barbed wire barricading the base entrance of the 11th Infantry Regiment, a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, as they await for the arrival of protesters Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
Police stand guard behind barbed wire and a row of large vehicles barricading the base entrance of the 11th Infantry Regiment, a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, as they await for the arrival of protesters Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
An advance group of protesters had already pulled away two decrepit buses that had been used to block the entrance to the base and removed strands of razor wire. A large contingent of riot police, several rows deep, stood their ground in front of the gate but there didn't appear to be an imminent chance of a clash.
Riot police stand guard as protesters hold a rally outside the base of the 11th Infantry Regiment,a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
The protesters believe that the army undermines democracy in Thailand, and that King Maha Vajiralongkorn wields too much power and influence in what is supposed to be a democratic constitutional monarchy.
The student-led protesters for months now have been demanding reforms to make the monarchy more accountable, even though criticism of the institution has long been considered taboo and comments judged defamatory of the king and key royals are punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
“People should be able to criticize the king. People should be able to inspect what he does. In this way, people will respect and love him more,” said activist Somyot Pruksakasemsuk, who served seven years in prison for defaming the monarchy and is facing criminal charges in connection with this year’s protests.
Protesters hold a rally outside the base of the 11th Infantry Regiment,a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
The protesters also want Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his government to step down and the constitution to be amended to make it more democratic.
As the army chief in 2014, Prayuth led a coup ousting an elected government. His military junta oversaw the rewriting of the constitution, which shifted power from elected politicians to unelected bodies, and Prayuth was returned to power after elections held under the new rules last year.
The site of Sunday's protest was symbolic for several reasons.
Protesters flash LED lights from their mobile phones while marching towards the base of the 11th Infantry Regiment,a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
Last year, the 11th Infantry Regiment was shifted from the army’s chain of command and made part of the Royal Security Command, answerable directly to the king. The action was one of several denounced by protesters as an example of the palace taking powers that should not be allowed under constitutional rule.
Although it was a bloodless army revolt in 1932 that ended the absolute monarchy and installed constitutional rule, the military and the palace have been closely allied for decades. By promoting and defending the royal institution, the army lays claim to being the protector of the nation, while the palace can count on the army to put down any threats to its position of privilege.
There have been 20 military coups since 1932, the most recent ones in 2006 and 2014. Because it is based in Bangkok, the 11th Infantry Regiment has been a key player in coups, or opposing them, according to the prevailing political climate.
Protesters carry inflatable yellow ducks, which have become good-humored symbols of resistance during anti-government rallies, while marching towards the base of the 11th Infantry Regiment, a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
While most coups are bloodless, the army has not hesitated to use force to crush threats to the established order.
In 2010, more than 90 people were killed and almost 2,000 injured during nine weeks of protests that saw a part of central Bangkok occupied by protesters who were eventually cleared out by the army. Prayuth, then a senior army general, was involved in the crackdown.
In announcing plans for Sunday’s protest, a group from Bangkok’s Thammasat University explained on Twitter that the regiment was targeted “because this unit suppressed people in 2010 and it was the main force for the previous coups.”
A protester's backpack is adorned with a large yellow duck, which has become a good-humored symbol of resistance during anti-government rallies, while waiting for other protesters outside the base entrance of the 11th Infantry Regiment, a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020, in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
Police stand guard behind barbed wire and a row of large vehicles barricading the base entrance of the 11th Infantry Regiment, a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, as they await for the arrival of protesters Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020, in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
A protester cuts barbed wire blocking the base entrance of the 11th Infantry Regiment, a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020, in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
Protesters try to get through barbed wire barricading the base entrance of the 11th Infantry Regiment, a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
A protester is seen behind rolls of barbed wire barricading the base entrance of the 11th Infantry Regiment, a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020, in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
Police stand guard behind barbed wire barricading the base entrance of the 11th Infantry Regiment, a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, as they await for the arrival of protesters Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
Police stand guard behind barbed wire barricading the base entrance of the 11th Infantry Regiment, a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, as they await for the arrival of protesters Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)
Police stand guard behind barbed wire and a row of large vehicles barricading the base entrance of the 11th Infantry Regiment, a palace security unit under direct command of the Thai king, as they await for the arrival of protesters Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand. Pro-democracy demonstrators are continuing their protests calling for the government to step down and reforms to the constitution and the monarchy, despite legal charges being filed against them and the possibility of violence from their opponents or a military crackdown. (AP PhotoSakchai Lalit)