Protest prompts partial Phitsanulok Road closure from Nov 8

Bangkok’s Metropolitan Police Bureau will close a section of Phitsanulok Road near Government House from 12.01am on Sunday, November 8, 2026, as officers prepare for demonstrators to gather in the area.

The Phitsanulok Road closure will extend from Phanitchayakan intersection to Suan Misakawan intersection. Police announced the restrictions on November 7 without specifying when the road would reopen.

Police may adjust traffic arrangements

The Metropolitan Police Bureau said officers would adapt traffic controls to conditions and developments on the ground, aiming to keep vehicles moving and minimise disruption to the public.

Motorists were advised to avoid the affected stretch, plan their journeys in advance and follow traffic police instructions. The bureau also asked travellers to monitor its Facebook page and other official channels for updated arrangements.

Anutin reiterates right to peaceful assembly

Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on November 6 that people had a constitutional right to express their views and that the government was willing to listen to their proposals.

Anutin was responding to questions about a separate Metropolitan Police Bureau ban on public assemblies within 50 metres of Government House. He said he had not been aware of the announcement and that each agency had to fulfil its responsibilities.

The planned demonstration is led by Mano Khrueakaew, chief of Krabi Noi subdistrict in Krabi and leader of the People’s Revolution Coalition to Protect the Land. The group had announced plans to rally outside Government House on November 7.

Asked about demonstrators staying overnight while waiting to submit their proposals, Anutin said they could exercise their constitutional rights provided they did not cause hardship to others.

On possible investigations into protest funding, Anutin said responsibility rested with the relevant agencies, including security authorities. However, he indicated that the government would not investigate the financial backers of a lawful, reasoned and peaceful gathering that caused no hardship to the public.

“As long as it is within the law, everyone has the right to do it,” Anutin said.

Anutin leaves amnesty questions to the courts

Anutin declined to determine whether joining the demonstration could affect people whose names had been put forward for an amnesty, describing the issue as a matter for the courts and their judgments.

The prime minister stressed that his responsibility was to exercise executive authority. He would not interfere with the judiciary, citing the separation of executive, legislative and judicial powers.