Protesters in tense face off with police at Ratchaprasong
Pro-democracy protesters began massing for a rally at Ratchaprasong Intersection at 4pm today, on the second day of demonstrations over charter-change motions before Parliament.
Protesters deployed on Ratchadamri Road, near CentralWorld and Big-C department stores, blocking the route from King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital to Pratunam.
Protest leaders condemned yesterday’s police operation at Kiak Kai intersection near Parliament, where riot police fired tear gas and water cannon but appeared to abandon the scene when yellow-shirt activists clashed with the pro-democracy protesters.
At 4.15pm, police who tried to convince demonstrators to call off the Ratchaprasong rally received a sarcastic response.
“We cannot hold a rally because we are not wearing yellow shirts, right?” said one student.
Netizens have accused police of using double standards to crack down on anti-government protests while being lenient towards yellow-shirt counter-protests.
