BANGKOK • More than 1,000 protesters took to the streets in Bangkok yesterday, the fifth day they have defied a government ban aimed at stopping three months of action to demand the ousting of Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and reforms to the monarchy.
Protesters at Kasetsart intersection raised the three-finger salute of opposition to the government and chanted "Get Out, Get Out" in reference to Mr Prayut.
Demonstrations were also held in two other places - an area in front of the Bangkok Remand Prison, where detained leaders of the protests are being held, and the MRT's Public Health Ministry station in Nonthaburi, the Bangkok Post reported.
A Thai court yesterday granted bail to 19 people who had been arrested in connection with the protests, the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights group said.
But those released did not include any of the main protest leaders, the group said.
Yesterday's protests, which comprised mostly young people, saw the BTS skytrain's services affected. The metro announced that it would not stop at three stations from 5.30pm, and resumed operations only about two hours later in the evening, after the crowds had dispersed peacefully.
Elsewhere in the country, demonstrations also took place in various university campuses and parks, including Songkhla University in north-east Thailand and at the Three Kings Monument in Chiang Mai, the Bangkok Post reported.
The protesters issued four demands: The release of their detained compatriots, Mr Prayut's resignation, Parliament to consider the people's constitutional amendment Bill, and monarchy reforms.
The pro-democracy rallies have been increasingly organised through the use of messaging apps, posing a challenge for police to track or crack down on them.
As the unrest continued with no end in sight, investors dumped Thai stocks yesterday, pushing the country's benchmark equity index down 2 per cent to a six-month low.
Analysts warned of a potential sell-off in the country's currency as well, as worries mount that escalating confrontation between the authorities and protesters could drag Asia's worst-performing market even lower.
The baht fell 0.1 per cent to 31.24 per dollar on a day when the American currency was weakening against most other currencies.
"The recent political developments... are unsettling investors' nerves," said Mr Kobsidthi Silpachai, head of capital markets research of Kasikornbank. "Such an atmosphere prompts investors to reduce risk."
REUTERS
