Marching Against Monarchy in Bangkok as Thais Call for New Constitution

Anti-monarchy demonstrations in Bangkok featured 30,000 protesters marching to deliver a handwritten letter of demands to the royal palace. Among other grievances, the letter called for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who was appointed by a military-dominated legislature after a 2014 coup d’état. 

The reform letter delivered Sunday included calls for the dissolution of the House of Representatives, which was re-designed after the coup, and a new written constitution. Protesters say that the current constitution was written to preserve the powers of the royal family and Chan-o-cha’s military-backed government. The protestors celebrated a small victory when the letter was received by the Royal Guard police, who agreed to pass it on to police headquarters. 

King Maha Vajiralongkorn was not at the palace during the university student-led protest in Royal Field, a park typically reserved for official events, in front of the residence. The protesters were blocked by hundreds of unarmed police, who did not engage with force. Government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri said police were asked not to incite violence, but were given the authority to determine and prosecute illegal speech, which includes criticism of the monarchy. 

The longstanding taboo against criticizing the government was put into action as protesters spoke out against the monarchy, an institution that has been upheld in Thailand for 800 years. The Thai Criminal Code states that defamation of the royal family is punishable by three to 15 years in prison. Protesters brought attention to recent disappearances of military and monarchy critics, two of whom were found dead. 

Lack of transparency in government spending was a concern for demonstrators, who criticized the $9 billion palace budget for King Vajiralongkorn. The budget, which includes $2 billion for a personal fleet of 38 commercial-sized jets and helicopters, seemed exorbitant to Thais facing the economic recession prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Despite the weighty issues at stake, the atmosphere remained festive as unified protestors marched together and enjoyed street food from local vendors.

At the scene, protestors placed a plaque that read “At this place, the people have expressed their will: That this country belongs to the people and is not the property of the monarch as they have deceived us.”

(Edited by Allison Elyse Gualtieri)