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Writer's pictureManushya Foundation
Jul 19, 2021

We Want mRNA Vaccines, NOT Extreme Violence!



"We asked you for safe and accessible vaccines, you gave us tear gas and rubber bullets!"


On the 18th of July, a pro-democracy protest was held near the Democracy Monument in Bangkok to demand the resignation of Prayuth Chan-o-cha’s government and access to free #mRNA vaccines for all. But, the pro-democracy protesters had to endure #ExtremeViolence as they were met with tear gas, water cannons, and rubber bullets by the Thai police.



1. #ม็อบ18กรกฎา - Why did the People protest?

Prayuth's extreme incompetence and mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to hugely disappoint the Thai population. The devastating #COVID19 third-wave in Thailand has proved the necessity to bring mRNA vaccines, instead of low-quality vaccines imported from China (Sinovac) and locally produced in Thailand (AstraZeneca) meant to only profit the 1%! The government's delay in providing quality vaccines for all and its corrupt practices putting their own profit over people's lives has led to an unprecedented number of cases and deaths. The 3rd wave has led to 386,307 cases and 3,328 deaths since the 1st of April 2021. At this stage, the government's actions are CRIMINAL.


The People rightly took the streets to demand change!

  • The People demand the resignation of Prayuth #PrayutGetOut

  • The People demand free mRNA vaccines for ALL!


2. Our fundamental #RightToHealth is violated!

Does incompetent Prayuth know that Thailand is a party to the #UnitedNations International Covenant on Economic, Social & Cultural Rights, and has an obligation to guarantee our essential #RightToHealth & access to #FreeVaccine for All, no matter our #Race #Gender #Religion and #SocialBackground? Not only Prayuth is ignorant of his country's international #HumanRights obligations but he seems not to care about #HumanBeings at all!

“Health is a fundamental human right indispensable for the exercise of other human rights. Every human being is entitled to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health conducive to living a life in dignity.”

- Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights - General comment No. 14 on the highest attainable standard of health



3. How did the police escalate the violence at the protest?

To prevent the spread of infections, many protesters used vehicles instead of marching. The police called the protest off at 18:00 and used tear gas, water cannon, and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. The #PoliceBrutality makes us question who they are really protecting. The citizens or the authoritarian regime that has plagued us since 2014?


The clash between the protesters and the police lasted until 21:00. Around 13 protesters were arrested. Approximately, 1500 police officers were deployed to the scene. A number of people were injured, and an area near Wat Ratchanadda was set up for healthcare volunteers to help protesters injured during the police onslaught.



4. Prayuth's Cruelty

The illustration by @landofwhy demonstrates the cruelty of the Prime Minister. The government's lack of understanding and compromise has led to only 5% of the Thai population being fully vaccinated. WHAT A SHAME, while the government claimed to reach herd immunity by the end of the year... The People took the streets because they want true #Democracy back - they had enough of lies and dictatorship!




“If we don’t come out now, we don’t know how long we shall survive and whether we will have a chance to do it again."

- Jutatip Sirikhan (One of #FreeYouth main activists)


👉 How can we hold the Thai government accountable, if they don't allow us to protest?

👉 How can we tell the World #WhatsHappeningInThailand if they don't allow us to speak?


We need the international community to wake up and call on the Thai government NOW!



#ล้มราชวงศ์จักรี #กษัตริย์มีไว้ทําไม #ม็อบ18กรกฎา



References:

  1. Vorasit Satienlerk, Juarawee Kittisilpa. “Thai Protesters Clash with Police near Government House.” Reuters. Thomson Reuters, July 18, 2021. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thai-youth-activists-go-ahead-with-protest-despite-gatherings-ban-2021-07-18/

  2. The Guardian, “Thai Police Fire Rubber Bullets at Protesters as Covid Failures Fuel Anti-Government Anger”, July 18, 2021. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/19/thailand-police-fire-rubber-bullets-at-protesters-as-covid-failures-fuel-anti-government-anger

  3. Bangkok Post, “Police Fire Water Cannon, Rubber Bullets, Tear Gas at Protesters”, July 19, 2021. Available at: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/2150783/police-fire-water-cannon-rubber-bullets-tear-gas-at-protesters

  4. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), The Right to Health - Fact Sheet No. 31, June 2008. Available at: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/Factsheet31.pdf

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