Thai Protesters Use Giant Ducks to Shield Against Tear Gas-Laced Water Cannons

Thai protesters are using giant inflatable rubber ducks to defend themselves against police water canons and a liquid laced with tear gas as massive protests continue in the country.

Inflatable defense: The Tuesday demonstration in front of the Parliament House in Bangkok was marked as the most violent protest since the start of the movement in July, according to the BBC.

Protesters threw smoke bombs and paint bags at the police as they tried to cut their way through the barricades and into the parliament.
Thai police fired back with tear gas and water cannons laced with irritant on protesters trying to reach parliament, Aljazeera reported.
The protesters found their solution in giant inflatable rubber ducks.

Protesters carry inflatable yellow rubber ducks at the Ratchaprasong Intersection. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)

The protesters initially intended to float the ducks behind the parliament, where lawmakers continue to debate the possible changes in the constitution.
At least 41 people were reportedly injured in the clash between the two opposing sides.

Other details: The wide-spread protests started in February after the Thai court dissolved the nine-member pro-democracy party, The Future Forward Party. The group pushed for “full democracy, an end to conscription and the removal of the army in both politics and business,” Rappler reported.

Pro-democracy protesters amassed at a key intersection in central Bangkok on Wednesday. (Photo by Sirachai Arunrugstichai/Getty Images)

It was re-energized in June after Wanchalearm Satsaksit, a pro-democracy activist exiled in Cambodia, went missing. Satsaksit was reportedly kidnapped by gunmen in Phnom Penh.
The demonstration was fueled even more after protesters began questioning the powers of the monarchy.
In Thailand and under the lèse-majesté law, citizens were not allowed to insult or threaten the monarchy. Doing so will lead to imprisonment, which can range from three to 15 years of jail time.
Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, one of the protesters at the demonstration, said their intention “is not to destroy the monarchy but to modernize it, to adapt it to our society,” BBC reported.
Protesters had drafted a list of demands made by representatives of the people, which includes monarchy reforms and the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his government.

Featured Image via On Demand News

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