Thailand's New PM Shaken By People's Demonstration And Ministerial Resignation

PM Thailand Prayuth Chan-ocha (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - The Thai Minister for the Prime Minister's Office, Tewan Liptapanlop, will resign in the near future. The news was delivered directly by the spokesman for the party that oversees him, Chart Pattana.

Liptapanlop's resignation will be the fifth resignation in the cabinet of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. The cabinet had previously seen the resignation of ministers within five days.

The party's spokesperson for Chart Pattana Yaowapa Boorapolchai said that the party leadership had decided for Tewan to leave the cabinet. The party also argued that the move was also to pave the way for a cabinet reshuffle.

Chart Pattana is one of 20 government coalition parties led by Prayuth and holds only one position in the cabinet. Tewan's resignation came after Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana, Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and two other ministers, left Prayuth's cabinet on Thursday, July 16.

The public's opposition to Prayuth has increased in recent months. Since last year's election, courts have dissolved the second-largest opposition party, giving coalition parties more power and more control in parliament. Prayuth's Palang Pracharat party, which campaigns for a vision of traditional Thai culture and loyalty to King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Demonstration of government and monarchy

Earlier on Saturday, July 18, around 2,500 people staged a demonstration demanding the resignation of the government and the dissolution of parliament. The rally defied a gathering ban to suppress the spread of COVID-19 and became the biggest street demonstration since the 2014 military coup.

People paraded and led by students. They gathered near the Bangkok Democracy Monument, citing a series of complaints against Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's government, which has only been in power for a year.

Prayuth Chan-ocha himself is a former military chief who overthrew the government six years ago. Demonstrators issued three demands: the dissolution of parliament, an end to harassment of government critics, and amendments to the military's written constitution that critics say guaranteed Prayuth's party victory in last year's elections.

"How can we be okay with a lack of democracy like this?" said the student activist Tattep Ruangprapaikit in front of the demonstrators.

But the demonstration was also colored by the veiled demands of protesting against Thailand's strong monarchy. Even though there is a law that prohibits criticism of the king. Protests like that never took place before.

The police were on standby but did not move to stop the protest. The monument was finally closed with the words: No unauthorized entry permitted. Maintenance is ongoing.

The protests started with student groups. However, at night, hundreds of other people came to join in, swelling the number to around 2,500.

The demonstration broke up around midnight. However, organizers said they would be back on the streets in two weeks if their demands were not met.

Thailand is officially a constitutional monarchy. However, insulting the king carries legal consequences for up to 15 years in prison. Many conservatives view monarchy as sacred.

Several speeches at the demos of the time made veiled references to the monarchy. "This is our country, but whose home is Germany?" said one of the student leaders on the small stage set up on the street.

King Vajiralongkorn owned land in Germany, where he spent much of his time. In addition there is a banner that reads, "The People's Party is Not Dead" - a reference to the political party whose revolution ended absolute royal rule in 1932.

Prayuth, last month publicly warned political activists not to take the risk of criticizing the monarchy.