Thai protesters call for government of Prayuth Chan-ocha to go, in peaceful event that was followed by rival walk backing Prayuth.
Daylight had barely broken before Nakorn W., 45, started limbering up and double checking his laces. He was standing in one of Bangkok’s largest parks surrounded by thousands of other runners ready to begin their day with some exercise and a dose of dissent.
Coming out to “Run against dictatorship” or in Thai, “Wing Lai Lung,” which means “run to oust the uncle,” a reference to Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha who is known as Uncle Tu was their way of showing their rejection of the establishment.
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As the sun began to rise, organisers started blasting out Rap Against Dictatorship’s, “My country has it,” a controversial rap song that slams the government for restricting citizen’s rights.
As the music blared, runners started the six kilometre (3.7 mile) route around the city’s Wachirabenchathat or Rot Fai Park to shouts of “Out with the dictatorship”.
Nakorn, a serial entrepreneur from the capital said that he thought the turnout both young and old was remarkable.
At least 10,000 people registered for the run, but organisers said about double that turned out on the day.
“For many of us, we just want justice to be raised to a higher standard,” Nakorn said.
“It doesn’t matter who the prime minister is for us, we just want justice. Most business people feel that the economy hasn’t improved. We have suffered and we miss better times. We run today to tell the government that we are not happy. “
The run is the latest demonstration of discontent against Prayuth’s government and the establishment.
In mid-December, Future Forward Party (FFP), which came third in last year’s election, held a rally calling for an end to the current government.
With the party facing a barrage of legal charges, and its charismatic billionaire leader, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, disqualified from parliament, those demands were echoed again on Sunday.
The police presence was small and there was no conflict or significant sign of tension. Many runners were emotional after finishing the run, while Thanathorn and other FFP members also took part Thanathorn finishing the circuit even while surrounded by scores of supporters eager for selfies.
The political climate has been contentious since 2014 when Prayuth, then a general, took control in a coup.
In the much-delayed general election, the FFP’s strong showing stunned Thailand and the political elite even as Prayuth’s military-backed party secured enough votes for him to return to power as a civilian prime minister.
Pro-democracy parties have said the election was a sham designed to keep the military in power, while FFP supporters have alleged it was “rigged.”
In the months since, discontent with the government has grown, with Thanathorn calling on his supporters to vent their frustration at the increasing number of legal charges facing the opposition parties and Future Forward, in particular.
A student activist said “Today was more than what we expected. We saw around 20,000 people come out to tell the government that we no longer accept their oppression.”
Another event is planned in the coming months, he added, probably in Chiang Mai.
Activist said the protests were galvanising the population, but while it was possible that more people would head to the streets, demonstrations would not be on the scale of places like Hong Kong.
“The aim and intention of the event is to show that the people don’t want the military to maintain control of the country,” he said.
“Although there may be a lot of people coming out, I don’t think it will escalate to what we’re seeing in Hong Kong, or even like other large protests here. We still have a large number of Thais who are happy to be in control by the military.”
“People have this idea that [Thailand] is more peaceful now with the current government, but it’s an illusion. Some people think pushing for democracy could lead to confrontations on the street. But democracy is not the cause of conflict it helps people live together when they disagree when they have different opinions.”
Across town at Lumphini Park, a much smaller crowd got together for a counter “walk” in support of Prayuth. The event, named “Walk to Cheer Uncle,” was held immediately following the anti-government run.
Thai protesters turn out to ‘Run Against Dictatorship‘.
