Protesters Nationwide Demand Thai Prime Minister’s Resignation

Protesters demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha took to the streets in cars and motorcycles in Bangkok and other provinces on Sunday, over his handling of Thailand’s Covid-19 crisis.

In the capital city of Bangkok, drivers honked horns and protesters on motorcycles raised three-finger salutes as they headed along a 20km route stretching from Democracy Monument to Don Mueang airport.

“We can barely make a living now, all of my family members have been affected,” a 47-year-old protester speaking from his car who only gave his first name “Chai”, for fear of government repercussions told the Bangkok Post.

“The government failed to provide vaccines on time and many of us haven’t had any vaccine yet,” he said. “If we don’t come out to make our calls, the government will simply ignore us.”

Similar protests were organised in other provinces, including Tak, Khon Kaen, Kanchanaburi, Surat Thani, Nakhon Sawan, Phetchabun and Nakhon Ratchasima.

“No one wants to hold activities like this under the present situation because we all love our own lives. But we can no longer stand the mismanagement of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on the Covid situation,” said a key organizer in Nakhon Sawan who also requested anonymity.

Jessada Iem-un, a coordinator of the rally in Kanchanaburi, echoed the same frustration, saying the government should take responsibility for its failure to handle the deadly pandemic by stepping down from power.

The country aims to inoculate 50 million people by the end of 2021, but so far, only 5.8% of the population are fully vaccinated, while about 21% have received at least one dose.

On Sunday, Thailand reported 18,027 new infections and 133 more deaths from Covid-19, bringing total accumulated cases to 615,314 and covid-19 deaths to 4,990.

Bangkok led all provinces with 2,899 new infections, followed by 1,259 in Samut Sakhon, 1,147 in Chon Buri and 1,113 cases in Samut Prakan.The country also found two imported cases, one Australian and one Briton, who arrived in Phuket from the United States under the sandbox scheme.