Red-shirt protesters organize pro-democracy protest against Thai Prime Minister in Bangkok outskirts yesterday evening

Monday, 23 November 2020, 13:27

Bangkok –

A group of red-shirt protesters, formally known as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), had organized a pro-democracy protest after several student-led demonstrations on Aksa road of the capital yesterday evening, November 22.

Panupong Mukdara, the Chairman of an online Facebook group called “Progressive Red Shirts 63”, had announced earlier this week a major red shirt rally on the Bangkok outskirts on Sunday at 4:00 P.M. until 3:00 A.M. on Monday morning.

The rally was planned to be a festival-like gathering where many freeform activities, including art space, open markets, speeches, and carnivals, were featured. The gathering will also be honoring a new pro-democracy group called “Vocational student Protection Group”, which is considered to be one of the coalitions with the People’s group.

Other members of pro-democracy groups, such as Isan People’s Network for Democracy and Khonkaen’s Daodin commoner led by prominent protest leader Pai Dao Din, will also join at the large assembly to voice themselves and take a stand against the military-based government and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-O’Cha.

Approximately 400 riot police had arrived one hour before the scheduled rally time and were deployed to maintain peace and order throughout the rally. Both sides remained peaceful so far. Water cannon trucks and Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) trucks were not seen at the peaceful rally.

This rally is the first official reunion of UDD protesters since April 2014, when they had previously occupied the Aksa Road as a large gathering place before Thailand’s army commander, Prayuth Chan-O’Cha, seized power in a military coup on May 22, 2014, over the government of Yingluck Shinawatra.