Reuters, Bangkok :
Thailand’s junta kept many of the thousands of troops and police it readied to deal with protests in Bangkok on Sunday off the streets as the number of people making a public show of dissent to the May 22 coup dwindled.
The military has cracked down hard on pro-democracy dissidents and supporters since it ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra last month, seeking to mute criticism and nip protests in the bud.
A heavy security force presence at potential flashpoints in Thailand’s largest cities has limited protesters to small gatherings, which are often coordinated through social media and mostly located around shopping malls.
On Sunday, few protests took place and the security presence was lighter. Half a dozen women outside a mall gave the three-fingered salute that has become a symbol of defiance to the coup.
Protesters posted photographs on social media of small groups at Bangkok’s main international airport making the same salute, which was inspired by the film “The Hunger Games.”
Police detained four protesters, deputy national police chief Somyot Poompanmoung said. Since the coup, authorities have forced detainees to sign statements declaring they will desist from political
activity as a condition of release. “Those four people will be brought to the army camp to tune their political attitude later,” Somyot told Reuters. “We did not use the full capacity of the forces. The protest was peaceful and it has ended now.”
The force on Sunday ready for deployment numbered more than 6,000, Somyot said. Army chief and coup leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha had instructed security forces to avoid confrontation, he said. Police would photograph protesters, identify them and issue arrest warrants later.
The military coup in May was the latest convulsion in a decade-long conflict between the Bangkok-based royalist establishment and the rural-based supporters of Yingluck and her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
