Pro-democracy demonstration staged at Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong intersection yesterday to demand abolishment of lese mejeste laws

Bangkok –

Pro-democracy demonstrators gathered at the Ratchaprasong Intersection in Bangkok yesterday afternoon, December 12th, for participating in a “12.12 Abolish 112” demonstration, demanding the abolishment of the lese mejeste laws in Thailand.

The protest, organized by a group calling themselves the People’s Party, began at around 4:00 P.M. near the crosswalk between CentralWorld and the Big C Supercenter. A temporary stage and pop-up booths were installed to provide historical information about the law and open signatures in a petition to abolish the law from participants. Banners with pro-democratic slogans were seen hanging from the crosswalk.

A group of police was stationed nearby for security and to conduct screening on the participants. They reportedly approached some of the protest organizers, asking them to remove some of what they stated were “inappropriate” banners. The protesters eventually agreed to do so and replaced them with another sign. No harsh confrontations were reported and the protest remained peaceful.

More people arrived and occupied Rachadamri road in the evening, although as an editorial policy TPN media does not estimate crowd sizes. The gathering remained peaceful, featuring live music, speeches, and talks by pro-democracy activists of how the 2017 Constitution should be rewritten and Section 112 should be revoked in their opinion.