Thai protesters use Emoticons to stay ahead of police

On Monday , protest organisers asked supporters on Facebook whether they should hold rallies that evening: The"Care" emoticon signalled"rest for one day," while the"Wow" emoticon was a vote to"keep going!" The majority on Facebook chose to continue the protests. A similar poll was also done on Twitter, using like and retweet buttons for the vote.

And while police have arrested more than 70 people, including prominent leaders, others are lined up to take their place as protesters push for Prayut's resignation, a more democratic constitution and more accountability for a monarchy that holds more power and wealth than any institution in Thailand.

POP-UP PROTESTORS On Friday, protesters were able to use social media to gather at a new location within an hour after police thwarted their initial plans. Since then they've been regularly popping up at various locations for a short period of time before dispersing quickly to avoid crackdowns. Last month, a Cabinet minister filed a complaint against some social media platforms for non-compliance with requests to take down content that the government deemed"inappropriate."

ECONOMIC IMPACT Any ban on platforms like Facebook would upset more than 50 million active users in Thailand - equivalent to more than 70 per cent of the population - who use social media to chat, shop and follow current events. Past government threats to take legal action against social media giants haven't materialised, even though some posts and pages have been removed or blocked.

Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Thai PM recalls parliament as protesters step up pressure
Source: TODAYonline - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »

Thai police order media probes over protest coverageBANGKOK (REUTERS) - Thai police said on Monday (Oct 19) they had ordered an investigation of four news outlets under emergency measures imposed last week to try to stop three months of protests against the government and monarchy.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »

Thai police seek probe of media over protests: DocumentThai police are seeking an investigation of four media outlets and a protest group over their coverage of protests on suspicion of breaking ...
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Thai Parliament to decide on special meeting as protesters rallyThe meeting will discuss ways to end an escalating protest movement calling for the ouster of Prayut Chan-ocha's government and the reform of the monarchy.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »

‘We have to speak out’: Thai students defy protest banBANGKOK — Thai authorities shut down parts of Bangkok’s commercial centre and crippled public rail networks over the weekend, in an effort to prevent young demonstrators from continuing their anti-government protests.
Source: TODAYonline - 🏆 1. / 99 Read more »

'We are all leaders today': Arrests don't stop Thai protestsDespite the arrest of many of Thailand's most high profile protest leaders over the past week, demonstrations have grown, with ever louder calls for the ousting of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and reforms to King Maha Vajiralongkorn's monarchy. Partly borrowing from the Hong Kong protest
Source: YahooSG - 🏆 3. / 71 Read more »