Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to lift the state of emergency, but protesters give him three days to resign.
After more than a week of declaring a state of emergency, Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha retracted the order. The new order will come into full effect on Thursday, October 22.
The said move follows a pre-recorded speech delivered on television by the prime minister. In the speech, he stated that he’s taking the first step to “de-escalate” the country’s political tensions.
Prayut further stated that as a leader, he’s responsible for the citizens’ welfare and that the protester’s voices are valued.
In recent months, thousands of protesters stormed to the streets demanding a new constitution, monarchy reforms, and a resignation from Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Let’s talk and debate over it
He conditioned the retracement announcement by saying there should no longer be violent protests or incidents in the country.
Extending the statement released by the prime minister says:
“I ask the protesters to reciprocate with sincerity, to turn down the volume on hateful and divisive talk, and to let us, together, disperse this terrible dark cloud before it moves over our country.”
Furthermore, he asked the protesters to work through the representatives in the parliament. The Thailand parliament which is in recess will be called for a debate on the ongoing crisis.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn approved the session addressing it as a matter of national interest.
Is Thailand Driving inspiration from Hong Kong?
The protests led by student groups are mostly coordinated via online platforms and social media. They have adopted the Hongkong method of carrying out the protests.
In the last week’s protests, they faced water cannons and tear gas shells from the police officials. They all responded by using umbrellas, raincoats, and gas masks to combat the officer’s advances.
The protesters also further adopted the method of the voting system while carrying out the rallies. To represent the messages, they choose the “wow” emoticon, meaning to continue the protest, and the “care” emoticon to rest.
Issuing mock resignation letters
In order to signal the need for helmets, the activists raise their hands above their heads in a triangular way.
If the protests are met with water cannons, the message would be repeated within the crowd until it reaches the last person and they would all disperse within minutes. They further swindle their index fingers, indicating dispersion.
On Wednesday, October 21, a representative from the pro-democracy protesters handed a mock resignation letter to the police chief with a blank space, indicating the prime minister’s signature. They further said that he must resign within three days or face more demonstrations.
Since last week, the police arrested nearly 81 members and leaders of the student-led rally.
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