Rubber protest in South broken up by police; Democrats protest at police brutality
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The rubber growers protesting in Nakhon Si Thammarat clashed with police on Monday who used tear gas to disperse the protest in Chu-uat district, leaving several on both sides injured and vehicles damaged.
The clash at Kuan Nong Hong intersection resulted in state vehicles being burned, though the protesters claimed that police burned the vehicles to frame them.
Following the incident, 10 Democrat MPs for Nakhon Si Thammarat issued a statement opposing the crackdown and expressing concerns this situation could get out of control. They urged the government to order police to avoid confrontation with protesters, to use peaceful means in bringing the situation back to normal, to review the aid measures for rubber growers and negotiate solutions with the protesters, and to stop accusing the protesters of being backed by Democrat Party politicians.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt Na Ranong insisted the government had put measures in place to aid rubber growers and thus would not propose any more measures. Urging the protesters not to do anything that affected the rights of others, he said the government would work to bring those who had misunderstood the measures to the same page.
