With the APEC summit kicking off today, anti-government activists said they will rally against the event starting this afternoon.
Two youth-led anti-government groups, Thalufah and Ratsadon, announced that at 5pm today they would gather at the Lan Khon Muang square near City Hall to carry out a peaceful protest.
The rally, dubbed “Stop APEC 2022”, is aimed at calling out the military-backed government and its prime minister, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, for hosting a summit that protesters say fails to represent the voices of the people.
“This summit has only government authorities and representatives from big-name capitalists that monopolize the industries,” a statement from the activist groups reads.
“The APEC agreement would bind Thailand to pressure from other countries to implement policies that only benefit venture capitalists, while the public cannot access these benefits at all,” the statement continues.
Meanwhile, supporters of the Workers’ Union Thailand said they would gather at noon today at the Asoke intersection before marching to the APEC summit’s venue, the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, to raise awareness of human rights and labor issues in Thailand.
The activist groups received permission from the City Hall to hold their protest at Lan Khon Muang, which has been designated as an area for legal demonstrations. Protesters have been prohibited from holding rallies at the summit venue or at any of the 19 hotels where delegates stay at.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt urged the protesters not to disrupt the summit by marching to other locations.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Pramudwinai said he hopes that the summit would be held in a peaceful and orderly fashion.
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