28 01 2021
On Monday afternoon, “Ratsadon pro-democracy demonstrators led by Parit ‘Penguin’ Chiwarak gathered outside Siam Bioscience’s Bangkok headquarters this afternoon to protest the company’s role in Thailand’s Covid-19 vaccine programme.” Transparency remains an issue, especially as the country’s vaccination program has now been rescheduled.
But transparency is an alien concept for the regime. When it comes to the monarchy, the rule is no transparency, which leaves it open to highly speculative gossip.
Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha’s version of “transparency” had him declaring: “We don’t want to see the Covid-19 vaccine politicised because the vaccine is a matter of life and death…”. Naturally enough, the general was speaking at the Defense Ministry as he defended “the contract to Siam Bioscience, saying there were other manufacturers which had offered to produce the jabs, but Siam Bioscience was selected because it met all of the go
Thai authorities on January 11 charged four democracy activists with royal defamation, with the protest movement rocking the kingdom put on hold because of a spike in coronavirus cases. A total of 41 people have now been charged with insulting the monarchy in a major uptick in Thailand’s use of its strict lese majeste laws since a youth-led protest movement began last July.
INSIGHT- Like water eroding rocks : Thai protesters prepare for long fight Reuters 12/24/2020
By Patpicha Tanakasempipat, Chayut Setboonsarng and Matthew Tostevin
BANGKOK, Dec 24 (Reuters) - As they paraded through a Bangkok shopping mall in crop tops to mock Thailand s king, protesters made an incongruous sight among the festive decorations.
They brought stares, smiles and some muted cheers, but the few dozen activists were far short of the tens of thousands who joined earlier anti-government protests that broke the taboo on criticising King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
After months of street demonstrations that have shaken Thailand s establishment, the best-known figures of a movement that drew tactics and inspiration from protests in Hong Kong told Reuters they are at a critical juncture.