Protesters will be prosecuted: police
Anybody participating in protests will be charged with violating the Emergency Decree and can face up to two years in jail and/or 40,000 baht in fine, police announced on Friday.
Supporters and members of the pro-democracy Free Youth group are scheduled to gather at Democracy Monument in downtown Bangkok at 1pm on Saturday before they march to the Grand Palace.
The Vocational Protection of the People for Democracy group has also announced that it will hold a car rally at Phan Fa Lilat Bridge before heading to Government House. However, it did not specify when this gathering will take place.
Police said provincial forces were being brought in to control the situation. According to records, since July last year, there have been 2,233 protests in the country and 524 related prosecution cases.
Meanwhile, deputy commander and spokesman for Metropolitan Police, Pol Lt-General Piya Thawichai, said any gatherings are in violation of the Emergency Decree, which has been put in place to control the spread of Covid-19. He added that police officers will be deployed to keep protesters away from all important sites in the city.
