Thai PM offers to lift emergency as thousands protest in capital

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha said his government is prepared to withdraw emergency rules banning large gatherings in the capital if the mounting protests demanding his ouster and monarchy reforms remain peaceful.
 

Prayuth’s pledge to review the state of emergency and open the doors for talks came as thousands of defiant protesters marched toward the prime minister’s office known as the Government House in Bangkok on Wednesday after breaking through police barricades and barbed wire. Simultaneous rallies by pro-royalist groups in support of King Maha Vajiralongkorn also raised fears of clashes between the rival groups.
 

“I will make the first move to de-escalate this situation,” Prayuth said in an address to the nation. “I am currently preparing to lift the state of severe emergency in Bangkok and will do so promptly if there are no violent incidents.”
 

Prayuth urged the protesters to trust the parliamentary process to address their grievances during a special session next week and said the government and the activists should “each take a step back” and “find solutions to the problems.” The king endorsed the session to be held from Oct. 26, according to a Royal Gazette notification Wednesday.
 

But the protesters set a deadline of three days for Prayuth to quit and sought the immediate release of activists detained by the police.
 

“The only way to a lasting solution for all sides that is fair for those on the streets as well as for the many millions who choose not to go on the streets, is to discuss and resolve these differences through the parliamentary process,” the prime minister said.

Breaking Taboos
 

Protests have swept Bangkok in the past week in defiance of the ban on gatherings and the threat of crackdowns by the police. Similar gatherings were also held in several cities across Thailand. They have broken long-held taboos about publicly criticizing the royal family and questioned laws that stifle discussion of the monarchy.
 

The youth-led protesters are calling for the resignation of Prayuth’s government and a rewriting of the constitution, which was drafted by a military-appointed panel after the premier, a former army chief, took power in a 2014 coup. The activists say the charter was instrumental in helping Prayuth retain power after the 2019 elections.
 

“The only sure way to achieve a sustainable, enduring resolution to the problems is to speak to each other, respect the due process of law, and then let the will of the people be resolved in parliament,” Prayuth said. “That is the only way.”
 

The prime minister said it was time to break the cycle of government leaders having to face mobs of opposing groups to prevent the country from becoming ungovernable and descending into chaos.
 

The protests are underpinned by years of sluggish growth now exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, which has put the Thai economy on course for its worst performance ever by derailing the two main drivers: tourism and trade. The benchmark SET Index of stocks has lost 23% this year.