Plans for another rally at Ratchaprasong Intersection were changed at the last minute today after the intersection was shut down and surrounded with barbed wire.
The protest umbrella group announced just before 5pm that people would gather just down the road at Pathum Wan Intersection in front of the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, a site of frequent protests. The BTS Skytrain has announced that trains will not stop at BTS Chit Lom and Ratchadamri, citing the state of extreme emergency.
Update: Riot police march on protesters in Bangkok, clashes erupt
The new location is conveniently accessible from BTS National Stadium and Siam, which remain open.
The government has since ordered BTS Siam, National Stadium and Ratchathewi stations closed along with MRT Sam Yan, hamstringing an essential transportation service just as people are likely to be heading home on Friday evening.
Police estimated that 13,000 people converged on Ratchaprasong Intersection yesterday. Officers struggled to keep them away but ended up being pushed out by the sheer number of people who showed up. The rally dispersed peacefully at 10pm.
#16ตุลาไปแยกประทุมวัน pic.twitter.com/NBAFhMhUwB
— ฿roadway (@Mineshaf) October 16, 2020
— BTS SkyTrain (@BTS_SkyTrain) October 16, 2020
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LIVE UPDATES: Police and protesters struggle for control of Bangkok’s Ratchaprasong Intersection
