Another protest overmartial law
An anti-coup action group will hold a demonstration at Thammasat University on Saturday to demand the immediate lifting of martial law, the group announced yesterday. The September 19 Network Against the Coup told a press conference at the October 14 Memorial that it would hold a public hearing for people to air their opposition to the coup.
The event will be held at 4pm inside the compound of the Tha Phrachan campus at the university. Sombat Boonngarmanong, a leader of the group, said it wanted the Council for National Security to lift martial law immediately and adopt the abolished 1997 constitution as an interim charter while holding a new election as soon as possible. He said those selected in the new election should be the ones to reform politics. The group will parade from the university on Rajdamnoen Avenue to the Democracy Monument at 6pm and stop briefly to mourn the democracy "destroyed" by the coup-makers. The protesters will then proceed to Army headquarters, where they will light candles as a gesture showing "the democratic path" to the coup-makers, Sombat said. He said his group was against martial law because such law is always used as a tool of coup-makers to restrict the people's liberty and prevent them from airing opinions against the government. Sombat said martial law could not ensure peace and order in the country, and would instead give the military more power than civilians and prevent national leaders from gaining acceptance. "Martial law not only damages the reputation of the country's leaders but also damages the reputation of all Thais and the country," Sombat said. Adisorn Kerdmongkol, another leader of the group, said it was not part of any political party but was a collection of students and pro-democracy citizens.
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