The leaders of the group “We Want Voting” surrendered to Thai authorities this afternoon in order to, as they put it, “make sure there would be no violence,” as plans to march to Government House and demand an election fizzled thanks to a series of police barricades.
The protest, which began late yesterday afternoon, finally ended at about 3:30pm today when the pro-democracy group’s leaders told its supporters to disperse, Rangsiman Rome, one of the group’s leaders, told BBC Thai.
The decision came after a small group of protesters snuck out of their headquarters of Thammasat University at about 2pm, where they’d been camping all night, and regrouped outside the police barricade there to attempt the promised three-kilometer march to Government House.
And march they did, only to be stopped just short of their goal.
As they neared Government House, they ran into a second wall of police formed in a 50-meter radius around the government building, blocking the protesters from proceeding further.
The protest leaders then surrendered, telling their fellow protesters to go home.
Eight leaders were then taken to Phaya Thai police station, according to the group’s statement online that followed. A law put in place by the junta has forbidden political gatherings of more than five people.
In the statement, the group condemned the junta for “ruining rule of law, human rights, the economy, and the future” since taking power in a coup on May 22, 2014.
It demanded that the government hold an election by November this year and cease any attempt to take part in politics after the election. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha has promised a poll in February after having moving promised elections several times.
“This fight is not about us, but it’s the fight between the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) against Thai citizens. When the NCPO insists to remain in power, it is Thai citizens’ duty to unite and resist against them in every day they can,” the statement said, referring to the name the junta gave itself in the wake of its takeover.
“Die dictatorship. Long live democracy,” it reads.
