Thailand: anti-government protest demanded reforms to the monarchy

Bangkok, Thailand: Organisers of a Thai anti-government protest demanded reforms to the monarchy of King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Monday, August 3, calling for its powers to be curbed in unusually frank public comments.

Defaming the monarchy is punishable by up to 15 years in prison under Thailand's 'lese majeste' laws. Police did not stop the six speakers, but said that any suspected offences would be investigated. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Tuesday that he was concerned about Thailand's youth. He said that they must be listened to but also warned protesters against using inappropriate language. "Many people say too much and may not be genuine. So this this is a police matter to proceed with," he told reporters.

Many of the 200 protesters were dressed like the fictional wizard Harry Potter and other characters in what they said was a reference to vanquishing injustices under the military-backed government. Some carried placards accusing the government of misusing tax money, an accusation it rejects. The crowd gave the three-finger salute that has become a symbol of Thai pro-democracy campaigners.

Lawyer Anon Nampa, 34, accused the palace of taking on increasing powers that undermined democracy and of inaction in the face of attacks on opponents of the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former junta leader. After the king took the throne in 2016, the palace required revisions to a new constitution that gave him greater emergency powers. He has since taken personal control over some army units and palace assets worth tens of billions of dollars.

Meanwhile, some Thai activists complain of harassment by authorities, saying that at least nine opposition figures living abroad have disappeared. Two were later found dead. Reuters has not independently confirmed what happened to these opposition figures. Two student groups then read out demands that started with: "Cancelling and reforming the laws that expand the power of the monarch and that could impinge on democracy where the king is the head of state." The Royal Palace did not answer phone calls on Monday seeking comment on the criticism.

Deputy government spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek said it was up to police whether to act against the protesters "The government wants the young protesters to observe the laws so that they can continue to exercise their rights to make their demands and the country can stay peaceful," she said.

The students from Mahanakorn and Kaset universities also called on the authorities to listen to the protesters and to reform the 'lese majeste' laws that ban criticism of the monarchy. Student protests to demand the resignation of Prayuth's government and a new constitution now happen almost daily. While some placards have made veiled criticism of the monarchy, this is the first time it has been open.

Police officer Surapong Thammapitak said: "We cannot yet determine what offences have been committed ... Any offences under any laws will be processed for the investigators." Prayuth said in a speech in June that there have been no prosecutions under the 'lese majeste' laws recently, at the king's request, but warned against criticising the monarchy.

Criticism was exceedingly rare under the king's father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, whose 70 year reign ended with his death in 2016. "Such open criticism of Thailand's monarch by non-elites at a public place within Thailand - with the police simply standing by - is the first of its kind in Thai history," said Paul Chambers, who teaches international affairs at Thailand's Naresuan University.

Wild life: Rare footage of new tiger captured in Thailand, rekindling hope for species

Bangkok, Thailand: Wild life conservationist groups unveiled rare videos and photos of three new male Indochinese tigers taken in Thailand's western forest region, rekindling hopes of recovery for the endangered species just ahead of Wednesday's July 29 Global Tiger Day.

The footage and photos were captured by camera traps and mostly show the animals roaming at night. According to the conservationist groups, this is the first time the species has been seen in the this region of Thailand in four years. Kritsana Kaewplang, director of wild cat conservationist group Panthera's Thailand chapter, said the recent findings meant that the country's conservation efforts to preserve the species and its prey are on the right track.

"We are excited about this discovery, especially during this time around - all three tigers at once," said Kritsana, who works closely with the Thai government and other NGOs. Nang Ram Wildlife Research Center, which has a database of the tiger population for the entire country, said that they had confirmed that two of the new tigers captured on camera had travelled from the northern part of the forest region to the south, while the third tiger has never before been documented.

Kritsana still warned of a remaining active threat from poachers in the area. "They are not the typical local hunters in the area, they work as a network for the online market, as well as internationally - a poacher had travelled from neighbouring countries, catering to various orders. Therefore, we have to strengthen our conservation work because poaching and trading remain the tigers' main threat," said Kritsana.

According to Kritsana, there are currently only about 3,900 wild tigers in the world, with around 160 of them residing in Thailand.

The Indochinese Tiger is native to the region and can be found in Laos, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and southwestern China.

Thailand celebrates King X's birthday with 500 drones light show

Bangkok: Thailand celebrated King Maha Vajiralongkorn or Rama X's birthday on Tuesday, July 28 with a light show using hundreds of drones to illuminate the night sky.

The 12-minute light show used 500 drones to depict various images of the Thai king who turns 68 this year. The drones also formed in the shape of a nurse and doctor, in gratitude to the frontline workers of the novel coronavirus outbreak. During past weeks, the country has seen a number of pro-democracy demonstrations throughout the country. There were also some veiled public references at the protest to the powerful Thai monarchy, despite a law forbidding criticism of the king. Such references would once have been unthinkable.

Thailand’s prime minister previously has warned political activists not to criticise the monarchy, saying doing so could damage their job prospects even though the king had asked him not to make prosecutions under a law protecting the royal family. Insulting the monarchy is a crime, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.