Doctors, health workers join nationwide amnesty protest
Thousands of state and private medical workers have protested in front of hospitals nationwide against the blanket amnesty bill, demanding the Senate - scheduled to begin its reading of the bill on Monday-- withdraws the controversial bill from deliberati
A group of physicians at the country’s leading hospital, Siriraj, will today organise a demonstration at the facility. On social media they invited medical workers to gather before the statue of Prince Mahidol of Songkla – inside the hospital – where they will read a statement expressing their disagreement with the bill.
They have asked medical workers at the hospital to dress in black suits with a blue ribbon attached to them.
“Normally, I am not interested in political issues but since the bill was passed by the House of Representatives, I think this was not the right thing,” Professor Dr Supakorn Rojananin, a head of the Department of Surgery, said.
Pranangklao hospital will also hold a protest against the amnesty bill today. And about 50 medical workers at Udon Thani hospital yesterday gathered in front of the hospital, holding a banner protesting the bill.
Medical workers at Kamphaengphet’s Pran Kra Tai hospital led by Dr Banlang Uppapong protested against the bill as well as medical workers at Phatthalung’s Ta Mod hospital. They set up a banner reading: “Don’t let the cheater be freed by the amnesty bill.”
Even medical workers at a private hospital like Bangkok hospital also gathered to protest the bill.
The Rural Doctors Society has changed its Facebook cover to a green banner and messages persuading medical workers to protest the bill.
Hundreds of medical workers have posted pictures on the society’s social media showing their opposition to the bill.
A network of health advocates yesterday gathered at the Public Health Ministry. “We will do everything we can do to block this bill,” they said in the statement.
Public Health Minister Pradit Sinthawanarong said Monday it was not wrong for doctors to express their political stand – but not inside the ministry or state hospitals.
Office of the Basic Education Commission’s secretary-general Apichart Jeerawuth said officials were allowed to join the demonstration as they have rights under the Constitution, but they should not protest in the name of the state agency.
To date, there has been no report of schools shutting down due to the political demonstrations. However Apichart accepted some schools had been affected by the protests.
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