Pro-democracy protesters scuffled with riot police Thursday in Bangkok a few hundred meters from the venue for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, where leaders from the U.S., China and 19 other Pacific Rim nations are meeting.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, who seized power in a 2014 military coup and was later installed as prime minister under a provisional post-coup constitution, has urged protesters to stand down during the summit.
In the last few years, Prayuth has faced angry street protests — some of which have spilled into violence — alongside demands that he step down and call a general election.
Decrying Thailand’s hosting of the summit as a “festival of lies,” one protester read a statement on behalf of an activist’s consortium called Ratsadon — which roughly translates as “the people” — urging assembled leaders to snub their hosts.
“This warm but hypocritical welcome is merely a means for you … to certify the legitimacy of an ugly, tyrannical government,” he said.
Protesters spray painted riot police shields and held up placards calling for Prayuth to resign. They also demanded the release of political prisoners and reform of Thailand’s lese majeste law, which carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison for insulting or defaming the royal family.
Convictions under that law have surged since massive pro-democracy rallies erupted in early 2020, rights advocates say.
Protesters are now urging APEC summit delegates to reject a Thai government proposal known as the Bio-Circular Green Economy Model, an initiative that aims to drive green development but, critics say, favors big business over poor farmers.
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