The New York Times - USA (2020-10-25)

14 N THE NEW YORK TIMES INTERNATIONALSUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2020

BANGKOK — Protests in Thai-
land that began as a student-led
revolt against the military’s influ-
ence on the classroom have bal-
looned to encompass a sweeping
range of issues at the heart of the
country’s deep-rooted social and
economic disparities.
The growing crowds of demon-
strators who have been assem-
bling for weeks at peaceful pro-
tests across the country have
made three primary demands, en-
capsulated by the slogan “Resign,
Rewrite, Reform.”
They are calling for the resigna-
tion of Prime Minister Prayuth
Chan-ocha, a former army chief
and the architect of a 2014 coup;
the overhaul of a Constitution he
pushed through that took power
from citizens and created an ap-
pointed Senate; and bringing the
monarchy under the purview of
the Constitution.
As the protests have grown, Mr.
Prayuth has adopted a more con-
ciliatory approach. But the pro-
testers appear to be unmoved.

Is Thailand governed by

a king or the military?

Thailand ended its absolute
monarchy and established itself
as a constitutional monarchy in

1932. But its political system has
      never found stability for long. The
      military has played a key role in
      politics, with a dozen successful
      coups against elected leaders,
      most recently in 2006 and 2014.
      The country is now on its 20th
      Constitution.
      The monarchy is protected by
      Thailand’s powerful lese-majeste
      law, which can bring a sentence of
      up to 15 years in prison for making
      statements deemed critical of
      members of the royal family.
      Laws on sedition and criminal
      defamation, as well as a computer
      crimes law that governs online
      content, can also be used to limit
      free speech.

Who are the key players?

The protesters:They are mostly
students, including many in high
school, who are unaligned with
earlier anti-government factions.
Many initially chafed at military-
style school rules over their be-
havior and attire. That dissatisfac-

tion has grown into a broader

challenge to the government, the

military and the monarchy. A

three-finger salute signifying si-

lent rebellion, taken from the

“Hunger Games” films, has be-

come a symbol of defiance. The

protests started in Bangkok and

have spread to other provinces.

The prime minister:As the head

of the army in 2014, then-General

Prayuth led a coup that ousted a

democratically elected govern-

ment. He has remained as the

head of government since then.

He pushed through a new Consti-

tution that took effect in 2017,

weakening the power of political

parties in Parliament, allowing for

an appointed Senate and ensuring

continued military influence over

the government. A newly consti-

tuted Parliament elected him

prime minister in 2019. Now 66,

Mr. Prayuth has refused pro-

testers’ demands that he resign

and has called on Parliament to

help resolve the conflict.

The king:Maha Vajiralongkorn

Bodindradebayavarangkun, 68,

one of the world’s richest men, as-

cended to the throne in 2016 after

the death of his father, the revered

King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who

reigned for seven decades. Since

becoming king, Maha Vajira-

longkorn has continued to spend

most of his time in Germany, re-

turning to Thailand for relatively

short periods. He has asserted his

authority by taking personal con-

trol of the crown assets and by re-

questing changes to the Constitu-

tion after voters ratified it in a

junta-controlled 2016 referendum.

The royalists:Supporters of the

monarchy, often identifiable by

their yellow shirts, have taken to

the streets in smaller numbers to

counter the student protesters,

sometimes clashing with them.

Protesters have posted videos on-

line that they say show royalists

attacking them.

What are the protesters

demanding?

They are calling on Mr. Prayuth

to resign, for the Constitution to be

revised and for the king to come

under the Constitution’s authority.

They also call for the dissolution

of Parliament, the same body that

chose Mr. Prayuth as prime min-

ister and that he has called on to

resolve the current conflict.

Their boldest demand is to limit

the power of the monarchy, which

has seldom faced a challenge in

the last 88 years. Among other

steps, they want the king to return

control of the crown assets, worth

tens of billions of dollars, and to re-

linquish direct control over cer-

tain Thai Army units.

What have been the key

events in the protests?

The plaque:In September, thou-

sands of protesters gathered in

Bangkok at the biggest pro-de-

mocracy rally yet. Afterward, a

group placed a plaque near the

royal palace that displayed the

three-finger salute and read, “At

this place, the people have ex-

pressed their will that this country

belongs to the people and is not

the property of the monarchy, as

they have deceived us.” Officials

removed the plaque soon after.

The queen’s motorcade:During

an Oct. 14 protest in Bangkok, a

limousine carrying Queen

Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayu-

dhya unexpectedly drove past a

crowd of protesters. Some yelled

“My taxes” and gave the three-fin-

ger salute. Several protesters

were later arrested and could face

harsh penalties under an obscure

law that prohibits “an act of vio-

lence against the queen’s liberty.”

The government issued an emer-

gency decree that banned gather-

ings of more than four people and

authorized sanctions on media

outlets deemed to have dissemi-

nated false information.

Water cannons deployed: As

thousands of protesters occupied

commercial streets in Bangkok on

Oct. 16, the police dispersed them

with water cannons, spraying liq-

uid that contained blue dye and a

chemical irritant. Appalled by this

tactic, demonstrators ignored the

emergency decree and turned out

in even bigger numbers for rallies

in the following days. Mr. Prayuth

revoked the emergency decree on

Oct. 22, a day after acknowledging

that Thailand would not become

“a better society through the use

of water cannon.”

Richard C. Paddock reported from
Bangkok, and Emmett Lindner
from New York. Muktita
Suhartono contributed reporting
from Bangkok.

‘Resign, Rewrite, Reform’: What’s Driving Thailand’s Protests

By RICHARD C. PADDOCK

and EMMETT LINDNER

KABUL, Afghanistan — A

deadly explosion struck a tutoring

center in Kabul on Saturday, punc-

turing a relatively peaceful period

in the Afghan capital even as vio-

lence has spiraled upward in the

countryside.

Tariq Arian, a spokesman for

the Afghan interior ministry, said

at least 18 people were killed and

57 others wounded in the attack.

He said the explosion happened in

an alley leading to an educational

center called Kawsar e Danish.

Mr. Arian said the attack was

carried out by a suicide bomber on

foot who was stopped before he

could enter the educational center

and detonated his explosives at

the entrance.

“Ambulances are still transfer-

ring the bodies,” said Abuzar Mo-

taqi, head of the main hospital in

the area. “ Most of them are very

young.”

Kabul has recently been spared

the large attacks that had once

struck the capital regularly. But

Saturday’s explosion comes amid

a wave of violence elsewhere in

the country as peace talks contin-

ue in Qatar between the Taliban

and the Afghan government.

The Taliban, in a statement is-

sued after the explosion, denied

being behind the Kabul bombing.

Recent appeals from Afghan

leaders and American diplomats

for a reduction of violence to allow

for progress in talks have proved

futile. Insurgents have launched

bloody assaults across the coun-

try that have killed dozens of peo-

ple, both security personnel and

civilians, on a daily basis.

Civilians often bear the brunt of

the violence. In eastern Ghazni

province, a Taliban roadside bomb

was detonated early Saturday

morning as a civilian and a police

vehicle were passing through the

area. At least eight civilians and

one police officer were killed, ac-

cording to Wahidullah Jumazada,

the spokesman for the governor of

Ghazni.

After the United States in Feb-

ruary agreed to begin withdraw-

ing its troops from Afghanistan,

the Taliban and the Afghan gov-

ernment finally came to the nego-

tiating table last month, but pre-

liminary talks have stalled on the

rules governing the negotiations.

Suicide Attack

At Tutor Center

Kills at Least 18

In Afghanistan

By MUJIB MASHAL

and NAJIM RAHIM

ADAM DEAN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

A pro-democracy protest in Bangkok last week. Crowds of demonstrators have been rallying for weeks to demand change in Thailand.

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