Thousands of anti-government protesters in Thailand clashed with police this Saturday (7) after they complained about the way the government is handling the COVID-19 outbreak and their impact on the economy.
About a hundred police officers blocked a road near the Victory Monument in the capital Bangkok with containers and used water cannons, tear gas and rubber fire against a march towards the government building, the office of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-chai. used.
“Tear gas and rubber bullets were used to control the crowd. Our aim is to maintain order,” police spokesman Krishna Pattanacharoen told reporters. He said the protesters used bombs, stones and marbles.
Dozens of protesters were seen loading onto motorcycles and ambulances.
“We want Prayuth to step down because people are not being vaccinated,” said a 23-year-old protester. “We don’t have jobs and income, so we have no choice but to protest.”
According to this Saturday’s data from the project “Data in Our World”, linked to the University of Oxford, only 6.1% of Thailand’s population was fully immunized against COVID-19. In addition, 15.6% received only one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and were therefore partially vaccinated.
