Thai opposition likely to protest on fourth anniversary of military junta’s rise
Starting today, activists will begin three days of demonstrations against the government, if an agreement to amend land rights issues is not upheld.
The Thai military junta government rose to power on May 22, 2014 through a military coup d’etat. The generals have postponed a general election for each of their four years in power.
Coupled with political liberty, the issue of land rights is at the fore. Today’s demonstrations focus on achieving “community titles” for displaced indigenous groups and farmers, while continuing to put pressure on the junta to hold general elections.
Recent protests have made great strides towards reconciling grievances: on April 29, talks between environmental activists in Chiang Mai led to the government agreeing not to use forested land to develop luxury properties.
In light of the general election, promised to be held by February 2019, expect today’s demonstrations to be somewhat successful, with the junta making limited land rights concessions, in an attempt to bolster public support.
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