THAILAND’S prime minister has revoked emergency measures imposed on Bangkok following more than a week of daily anti-government protests in the nation’s capital and other cities. An announcement in the Royal Gazette on Thursday said “as it has appeared the severe situation, which had resulted in an enactment of emergency decree, has resolved and halted.” The new order, which came into effect at midday in Bangkok, said the situation had returned to a state where normal law enforcement can address the situation. It follows a pre-recorded televised speech from Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha on Wednesday, who said he is taking the first steps to “de-escalate” political tensions that have seen tens of thousands of protesters take to the streets in recent months, calling for a new constitution, monarchy reform and Prayuth’s resignation. “The protesters have made their voices and views heard,” Prayuth said. “As the leader of the nation who is responsible for the welfare of all Thais — whether they be protesters or the silent majority with whatever political convictions — I will make the first move to de-escalate this situation.” Prayuth said he would lift the state of severe emergency in the capital on the condition that “there are no violent incidents” and asked protesters to work through representatives in parliament. “I ask the protesters to reciprocate with sincerity, to turn down the volume on hateful and divisive talk, and to let us, together, disperse this terrible dark cloud before it moves over our country,” the prime minster added. Prayuth, a former army chief who staged a coup in 2014 and was formally elected the country’s prime minister in 2019, said it was time to break the cycle of government leaders having to face mobs of opposing groups to prevent the country from becoming ungovernable and descending into chaos. “The only sure way to achieve a sustainable, enduring resolution to the problems is to speak to each other, respect the due process of law, and then let the will of the people be resolved in parliament,” Prayuth said. “That is the only way.” Meanwhile, an extraordinary parliamentary session was given royal assent and will be convened from Monday, according to an announcement from Thailand’s Royal Gazette. Thailand’s parliament is in recess but will be recalled to debate the crisis. The order said King Maha Vajiralongkorn approved the session “With necessity for the national interest.” Thailand is currently seeing some of its biggest protests in years. Anti-government protests emerged last year after courts banned the most vocal party opposing the government of former junta leader Prayuth. After a pause during measures to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, protests resumed in mid-July. Student-led demonstrators have continued defying an emergency decree imposed last Thursday that banned public gatherings of more than five people, restricted the publication of information deemed to incite fear among the public, and granted broader powers to security forces. Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in Bangkok and other cities over last weekend, galvanized by clashes between police and protesters last Friday. Many people, including celebrities, have publicly condemned the police’s use of water cannons to disperse protesters. “Last Friday night, we saw things that should never be in Thailand,” Prayuth said in Wednesday’s speech, referring to some of the violent clashes between protesters and police. But he acknowledged the peaceful “well-meaning” demonstrators as well. The protest movement has been mostly peaceful and has attracted support from a wider cross-section of society. Marches and flash-mob style rallies are organized online over messaging platforms such as Telegram, with protest locations announced last minute on social media. On Wednesday, protesters said they were giving Prayuth three days to resign or face more demonstrations. A representative from the protesters handed a mock resignation letter to the Bangkok metropolitan police chief and a representative from the government, and at the bottom of the letter was a blank space for the prime minister to sign. “Prayuth must resign within three days, or else will face with people again,” a local protest leader said. They said they would suspend their activities for three days to give the government time to respond. Prayuth has previously said that he will not step down. The protesters are also calling for the resignation of Prayuth’s government and a rewriting of the constitution, which was drafted by a military-appointed panel after the 2014 coup. The activists say the charter was instrumental in helping Prayuth retain power after the 2019 election. The group is also demanding the release of arrested protesters in custody, including several protest leaders. Thai police said 77 people have been arrested from the protests in Bangkok since Oct. 13. Thai Lawyers for Human Rights put the number of people arrested nationwide at 87. Charges have ranged from smaller offenses to more serious crimes such as sedition, which carries a maximum seven years in prison, and violating the Computer Crime Act. The threat of prison, the arrest of protest leaders and the emergency decree have not deterred protesters. The protesters are also calling for curbs on the king’s powers and make him answerable to the constitution — a demand that has led to unprecedented public discussion of an institution long shielded from criticism by law. Protesters have voiced anger that the king spends much of his time in Europe. They have also challenged the spending of the Palace and lifestyle of the king, who has been married four times and last year took a royal consort. Protesters also seek the scrapping of the lese-majeste law against insulting the king. They want the king to relinquish the personal control he took over a Palace fortune estimated in tens of billions of dollars, and some units of the army. Thailand’s lese-majeste law, which forbids insults to the monarchy, is among the strictest in the world. Those found guilty of breaching it face up to 15 years in jail. (SD-Agencies) | 