Charter, temple, layoffs spark most protests

The charter amendment bill, the Preah Vihear Temple dispute, and job cuts were the three main issues for anti-government protests between October and December last year, police spokesman Piya Uthayo said yesterday.

Piya said police had recorded 633 protest rallies nationwide over the three-month period, 264 of which were sparked by political issues and 399 by business issues. Bangkok was the police jurisdiction with the highest number of rallies, at 218, of which 107 were deemed political protests and 111 business protests.

Khon Kaen (Region 4) saw 77 protests, the second-highest number during the period, while Surat Thani (Region 8) saw the third-highest number, at 71, said Piya.