The past week has seen several rallies and demonstrations, most of them directed against government policy. Some, like the colourful Democrat Party street rallies in Bangkok, have been informative. Others, such as a consumer-driven demonstration against LPG price rises at the Energy Ministry and PTT Plc, were emotionally-charged, yet peaceful. One overstepped legal bounds. Rubber farmers, concerned about low prices, last week began blocking a highway in Nakhon Si Thammarat to demand economic relief.
Clearly, public protest is a protected right of all Thai citizens. It is part of freedom of speech, a vital necessity in any country that claims to be free. No rational Thai argues against the right of the public to gather, to petition the government, or simply to protest or champion any cause. Many countries forbid or closely regulate such protests, and not one of those countries is admirable or worth emulating.
Like all rights, however, freedom of speech and public demonstrations have legal and ethical limits. Blocking a busy highway in Cha-uat district is unacceptable. No matter how important the rubber farmers believe their cause to be, they must not infringe on other citizens' rights to travel on public roads.
In addition, when cool heads do not prevail, there are always risks of protests turning violent. One only needs a short memory to recall the consequences of a rally gone rogue. The 2010 red-shirt protests spiralled out of control and turned deadly in April of that year. A month later, parts of inner Bangkok were on fire and dozens of Thais lay dead on the streets, in buildings and even in a temple. There are many opinions about those dark days, but one fact stands out _ if the protest had remained within the law, many of its participants would be alive today.
Of late, the government's strategy to rein in protests has been to ensure the police presence has overwhelmed the protesters. Last November, police tear-gassed a political rally by the Siam Pitak group. The People's Alliance for Democracy shut down streets and prevented businesses from operating but cleared off after one dramatic day.
Unfortunately, the rubber farmers' roadblock turned violent when police tried to force open the highway. Police began beating protesters who refused to move. This unnecessary violence has put one demonstrator in hospital, reportedly in serious condition. The refusal of local authorities to intervene and talk to the farmers undoubtedly contributed to this unfortunate event. This is how small, emotional protests escalate into violence.
The problem of low commodity prices is neither new nor unexpected. From rice to roses, sugar to eggs, the markets are malleable, often unpredictable and sometimes punishing.
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Yukol Limlaemthong said on Sunday he can only help rubber producers in minimal ways. Thailand is the world's leading rubber producer and exporter, but it cannot control world prices, which depend on the inseparable siblings of supply and demand.
The rubber farmers resent this explanation, given the government's deep pocket for the rice-pledging scheme. But if they have a good case that the government is wrong, incompetent or unfair, such a case must be made rationally. Public protest is rational and legal; shutting public roads is not. Such tactics can easily turn awry, and when the public turns against the cause, its legitimacy is lost.