Thai protesters defy monarchy with 'People's Plaque'

Thousands of protesters cheered as activists
installed a plaque in Bangkok Sunday declaring that Thailand "belongs to
the people" -- the boldest show of defiance in a youth-led movement which
is questioning the unassailable monarchy's role in the country.
Thailand has seen near-daily protests for the past
two months led by student activists calling for the resignation of Prime
Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, a former army chief who masterminded the 2014 coup.
Demonstrators spent Saturday rallying in Bangkok's
historic Sanam Luang field next to the Grand Palace, where organisers took a
stronger line on reform, calling for the royal family to stay out of the
kingdom's politics.
Authorities said the demonstration drew 18,000,
though AFP reporters on the ground estimated a 30,000-strong crowd at its peak
-- making it the largest such gathering Thailand has seen since the 2014 coup.
On Sunday at dawn, student activists installed a
commemorative "People's Plaque" in Sanam Luang field.
"Down with feudalism, long live the
people," shouted protest organiser Parit Chiwarak to the cheering crowd.
The new plaque states the date Sept 20, 2020,
followed by the proclamation: "The people have expressed the intention
that this country belongs to the people, and not the king."
The movement is pushing frank questioning of the
royal family's role into the public -- once a taboo topic due to Thailand's
draconian royal defamation laws.
The plaque references the original brass one
embedded for decades in the ground of Bangkok's Royal Plaza, which commemorated
the end of royal absolutism in 1932.
But it mysteriously disappeared in 2017 -- after
King Maha Vajiralongkorn took power following the death of his father --
replaced with one bearing a reminder for Thais to remain loyal to the
"nation, religion, king".
Activists say the missing plaque is emblematic of a
wider whitewashing of Thai political history.
Palace officials did not immediately respond to
requests for comment.
Organisers had initially planned to march to
Government House, but a last-minute change of plans saw protesters move to the
Privy Council's office -- opposite the Grand Palace -- to submit a list of
demands addressed to the king.
The highly influential board of royal advisors
wields significant influence in Thailand.
Dozens of officers stood guard, alongside water
cannon trucks in front of the palace.
The largely leaderless youth-organised movement, partly
inspired by Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests, is calling for Prayut's
government to be dissolved, a rewrite of the 2017 military-scripted
constitution, and for authorities to stop "harassing" political
opponents.
Some factions within the movement have also called
for greater accounting of the palace's finances, the abolition of royal
defamation laws and a call for the king to remain outside of politics.
King Maha Vajiralongkorn sits at the apex of Thai
power, bolstered by a powerful military and conservative establishment.
He spends long periods in Europe, his absence from
Thailand raising ire on social media in recent months as the economy tumbled
because of the pandemic.
The new Sanam Luang plaque will be regarded "as
an immediate challenge", said analyst Paul Chambers, warning that the
growing acrimony could lead to "state violence against protesters".
Prayut has said Thailand would be "engulfed in
flames" if the students push too hard, though he vowed "softer
measures" against the weekend's protesters.
Since 1932, the military has staged more than a
dozen coups following bouts of violent protests -- which arch-royalist generals
have claimed in the past was necessary to defend the king.
The recent wave of demonstrations has so far been
peaceful.
But authorities have arrested more than two dozen
activists, charging them with sedition before releasing them on bail.
Protesters have called for another rally Thursday
outside parliament as MPs debate potential constitutional changes.
"MPs are afraid... They're worried they might
get some problems."
A general strike has also been called for October
14.
"People have woken up," student Napassorn
Saengduean, 20, triumphantly told AFP as Sunday's rally dispersed.
"I will keep coming back until I die."