BANGKOK – Despite a ban on public gatherings due to Covid-19, anti-government protesters took to the streets here, with riot police firing tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.
About 1,000 demonstrators gathered at Democracy Monument on Ratchadamnoen Avenue since yesterday afternoon, reported local media.
Riot police fired tear gas and water cannon after some protesters tried to dismantle a police barricade and clashed with cops.
As night fell, more frequent shots of tear gas to disperse the crowd were heard.
At 6.30pm local time, the main organiser of the protest, Free Youth, asked the protesters to leave.
Since mid-July last year, anti-government demonstrators have been rallying here and in other cities, reiterating their demands for political change, including for the prime minister to step down, dissolution of Parliament, rewriting of the Constitution and monarchical reform.
The protesters also blamed the Prayuth Chan-O-Cha-led government for mismanaging the Covid-19 pandemic and vaccination roll-out.
Over the last 24 hours, Thailand recorded 11,397 new coronavirus cases – its highest single-day count for a third consecutive day – and 101 deaths. – Bernama, July 19, 2021
