A protest of up to 1,200 people is expected to take place today in front of the US Embassy on Wireless Road in Bangkok today Dec. 16.
The US Embassy put out a release today saying that it expected the protest sometime between 1pm and 4pm.
No mention was made in the Embassy’s statement on the reason for protest, but most likely it has to do with a row that has been brewing over lese majeste laws in Thailand.
The US Embassy’s Facebook page has become somewhat of a battleground lately between royalist supporters of the law and detractors.
Royalist group Siam Samakkhi (United Siam) recently criticized the US as well as the UN and European Union for attempting to interfere in Thailand’s affairs, the Bangkok Post reported.
About the expected protest, the US Embassy said:
Although this gathering is expected to be peaceful, if you plan to be in the vicinity, you should be mindful that any large gathering holds the possibility of risk, and that traffic around the Embassy will be impacted. It is also possible that access to the Embassy will be restricted. Demonstrations are unpredictable and can turn violent without warning. For this reason, we encourage you to monitor local media for information about possible demonstrations and to avoid the vicinity of demonstrations. Information about the demonstration may also be available on our website as well as through Facebook and Twitter.
