Pol Maj Gen Piya Tavichai, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said a group of demonstrators called Ramkhamhaeng for Democracy gathered briefly at Government House at 10am and poured paint and littered there. Police arrested them for prosecution.
The second group of protesters led by Nattawut Saikuar blocked Asok intersection at 4pm and set up a stage for speakers.
At 5:10pm some protesters left the intersection on their vehicles and travelled on Sukhumvit Road via Phra Khanong intersection to Bang Na intersection. Then they returned on the same road to Asok intersection. The demonstration ended there at 7:10pm.
The Thalu Fah group staged their protest at the Democracy Monument at 4pm. Protesters hung banners on the monument and burnt things around it. The demonstration ended at 8pm.
The last group, Thalu Gas, gathered at Din Daeng intersection at 5:30pm. Demonstrators threw fireworks, ping pong bombs and pipe bombs at government offices and a hospital.
At 7:45pm police arrested 15 wrongdoers and seized a certain number of improvised explosive devices and weapons, Pol Maj Gen Piya said.
Demonstrators also set fire in many areas and their violent attacks continued at Din Daeng intersection. Pol Maj Gen Piya advised passers-by to take precaution and people who lived in the vicinity to return home before 9pm.
Police arrest ‘Thalu Gas’ group members
Meanwhile, 18 protesters of the “Thalu Gas” group have been apprehended for allegedly damaging state property including circuit control panels operating a major water drainage tunnel on Monday (Sept 6), according to the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB).
Pol Maj Gen Piya said two protests took place on Monday, one at the Asok intersection led by red-shirt leader Nattawut Saikuar and another at Din Daeng intersection headed by the Thalu Gas (tear gas survivors) group.
Violent scenes were witnessed when the Thalu Gas group clashed with riot police around the intersection. The mostly young protesters partially occupied roads in the area and hurled marbles and hard objects, as well as improvised explosives, pipe bombs, incendiary bombs, and firecrackers, at nearby state and private buildings.
They reportedly burned state property, including circuit control panels of a major water drainage and flood mitigation tunnel.
Pol Maj Gen Piya said the City Hall’s Department of Drainage and Sewerage was assessing the damage and seeking legal action against the culprits.
“They can’t even be called protesters, victims, or political activists. They are lawbreakers, plain and simple,” said Pol Maj Gen Piya.
Since July of last year, police have identified 684 protesters, 427 of whom were caught in 179 protest-related cases. Police also confiscated 115 of their motorcycles.
Meanwhile, anti-government protesters have routinely convened at Asok intersection to put pressure on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to step down.
On Monday, protesters dropped a large quantity of papers containing their protest demands from the skywalk over the intersection.
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