BANGKOK: Thousands of protesters gathered in the Thai capital Bangkok on Saturday (Jun 28) demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, as her government faces rising anger over a border row with Cambodia.
The rally, the largest anti-government protest since her Pheu Thai party came to power in 2023, increases pressure on Paetongtarn, 38, who is battling to revive a faltering economy and keep a fragile government coalition together ahead of a potential no confidence vote next month.
Protesters waved flags beside Victory Monument, a war memorial at a busy intersection, in a demonstration organised by the United Force of the Land, a coalition of largely nationalist activists who have rallied against other Shinawatra-backed governments over the last two decades.
While the past protests did not directly cause the downfall of those governments, they built up pressure that led to judicial interventions and military coups in 2006 and 2014.
The political turmoil in Thailand threatens to further damage the country’s struggling economic recovery.
Paetongtarn said on Saturday that she was not concerned about the protest and had instructed authorities to ensure the gathering was peaceful.
“It’s within people’s rights and I will not retaliate,” she said.
Source: CNA
