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In the past two months, Thailand’s anti-government movement has seen many transformations with diverse groups pursuing different paths as public anger continues to simmer over the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conventional street protests with occasional “car mobs”, mostly organised by anti-government youth groups that first emerged in the second half of last year, have since late July also been attracting veteran Red Shirt activists.
However, some of the wind went out of the protest sales in mid-September after Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha survived a no-confidence vote in parliament. That diminished the prospect that the former army chief, who first seized power with a coup in 2014, will not see out his four-year term that is due to run until 2023.
The most resolute group of protesters in recent months has come out in hundreds every day at the Din Daeng intersection in north-central Bangkok. They have used firecrackers and slingshots to taunt riot police, who on occasion have returned fire with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons. Many of the young people involved come from slums and poor housing estates in the capital. They have lost income during the pandemic, and in many cases are using the clashes to vent frustrations.
Does Din Daeng have any significance in a wider context? Could similar demonstrations erupt in other parts of the capital? How widely are they supported, and what is the likely end game for the protesters and the authorities?