Police use water cannon against protesters

BANGKOK: Thai police used water cannon against protesters on Friday night in central Bangkok, as the pro-democracy activists defied an emergency decree banning gatherings for a second night running.

Around 2,000 pro-democracy demonstrators in the city’s main shopping mall district had been chanting for the release of arrested activists and hurled obscenities at Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha.

Several hundred riot police advanced towards them in formation, calling on the protesters to go home or face the water cannon. A few metres away, hundreds of activists blocked the road behind a makeshift barrier, calling for the riot police to "get out!" and singing the Thai national anthem.

Four police officers and one protester were injured, according to a city hospital. Police fired chemical-laced water from the cannon, pushing back the protesters who used umbrellas against the blue liquid.

"The younger generation will not stand for the status quo any longer," design student Pim, 20, told AFP earlier, as the protesters raised their arms to display a three-fingered salute adopted from the "Hunger Games" movies. "The poor are becoming poorer and the rich are becoming richer. The gap is growing."

Police later dispersed the protesters, but many vowed to return to the streets. "The (use of force) will increase the numbers of protesters," said 21-year-old Nine, an engineering student. "Anger has built up inside."

The kingdom’s political elite has been jolted by the youth-led movement that is demanding the government’s resignation and issuing a once-taboo call for reforms to Thailand’s powerful monarchy.

On Thursday, Prayut had imposed an emergency decree banning gatherings of more than four people, but about 10,000 ignored the measure, demonstrating late into the night.

Vowing to stay on, the premier warned protesters on Friday "not to violate the law" and police shut down the planned rally site -- but activists changed location to the shopping mall district of Pathumwan.

One protester was arrested during Friday’s rally, which follows the earlier detention of around two dozen of the most prominent activists, including two under a rarely-used law banning violence against the queen.