BangkokPost-Sept 6
Tanat Thanakitamnuay, the scion of a real estate family, stood on a truck, where he had been excoriating Thailand’s leaders for their bungled response to the pandemic. Then a hard object, perhaps a tear gas canister, struck his right eye, tearing his retina. Mr Tanat, who once supported the 2014 coup that brought Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, now the prime minister, to power, said the injury cost him his vision in the eye. Thailand, which not long ago was seen as a virus-containing wonder, has become yet another example of how authoritarian hubris and a lack of government accountability have fueled the pandemic. This year, more than 12,000 people in the country have died of Covid-19, compared to fewer than 100 last year. The economy has been ravaged, with tourism all but non-existent and manufacturing slowed. Anger is spreading, and not only in the streets. Opposition lawmakers in parliament tried to pass a vote of no confidence in Gen Prayut, accusing his government of squandering the months-long head start Thailand had to fight the coronavirus.
Read more at: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/2177227/protesters-are-back-and-angrier-as-govt-fumbles-on-covid
