NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE in Thailand
Protests as PM survives
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Thailand's parliament after Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and nine ministers survived a parliamentary no-confidence motion yesterday after a four-day censure debate.
"It was a disappointment, but expected," protest leader Attapon Buapat said.
Over 1,000 protesters rallied outside the parliament gates. Organisers gave assurances the protest would not turn violent.
Earlier, lawmakers voted in favour of Prayuth and other ministers.
Opposition lawmakers have taken aim at what they say is a slow government roll-out of the coronavirus vaccine and at its economic policies, vowing to continue investigating.
Prayuth, a former chief of the armed forces, overthrew an elected prime minister in 2014 and stayed in office after a 2019 election that his rivals said was badly flawed. The government has said the elections were free and fair.
The no-confidence motion came as pro-democracy protests returned after a lull brought on by a second outbreak of Covid-19. Youth-led protests last year reached across the country posing a major challenge to Prayuth.