People rally to denounce military rule in Thailand
People have staged a rally in Thailand’s capital to protest military rule on the second anniversary of the takeover of power by the army in the country.
At least 200 people took to the streets in Bangkok on Sunday, holding banners and chanting slogans against the military government.
The protest, which was led by a group of students, was the biggest anti-junta demonstration since the army seized power in 2014.
“I think they should give the people democracy, return power to the people,” said one of the protesters.
On May 22, 2014, the army ousted the government of then-Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on corruption charges several months after violent protests against her.
The opponents of the junta accuse it of having carried out the unconstitutional overthrow of an elected government.
Shinawatra was impeached by the military after the coup and is still on trial for alleged negligence for her role in a multi-billion dollar rice subsidy scheme, a charge that could see her jailed for up to ten years.
“Today is the 2nd anniversary of the coup d’etat that removed my government from office,” she wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday. “It was the day that the people’s rights and freedom were taken away.”
However, the head of the military junta, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, formerly an army chief, said the coup was necessary to end political chaos and street protests.
The military will put a new constitution to a referendum in August. It has drafted the constitution to replace the one it discarded after the coup two years ago.
Opponents, including major political parties, are trying to mount a campaign against the referendum, which they say will preserve the military’s influence and is unlikely to end political strife.
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