Fuel Protest Convoy From Krabi Heads to Government House

A fuel protest convoy led by a Krabi village headman was due to reach Government House in Bangkok on Sunday evening, 8 November, to demand a 10-baht-a-litre cut in fuel prices and tougher action on drugs, the Bangkok Post and The Thaiger reported. Two other protest groups plan to join on Monday, when all three expect to hand their demands to the government.

Police have banned gatherings within 50 metres of the compound until 20 November, and roads around Chamai Maruchet Bridge were set to close from midnight on Saturday.

Who is leading the convoy

The largest group is led by Mano Khrueakaew, the kamnan, or subdistrict headman, of tambon Krabi Noi in Krabi province. His group calls itself the People's Revolutionary Alliance for the Protection of the Land.

The convoy left Nakhon Si Thammarat on the morning of 5 November and spent its first night in Surat Thani. It reached the Pathomphon intersection on Phetkasem Road in Chumphon at about 4pm on 6 November, where supporters had been waiting since late morning, according to The Thaiger.

On Saturday it entered Prachuap Khiri Khan and held a mobile rally along the way, stopping at Wat Nam Tok Khao Pho Thong in Bang Saphan Noi district before the final leg to Bangkok. The Bangkok Post said the group aims to gather 1,000 vehicles and has received more than 1.6 million baht in donations. Thai Examiner reported that Mano admitted turnout was below that target.

Mano told Daily News the group would stay put if the price cut was not made. He also said he had moved one evening rally across the provincial border after four people warned him about his safety.

What the three groups want

Although the groups have different goals, they are expected to submit their demands together on Monday:

• Mano's alliance: a 10-baht cut in fuel prices and tougher action against drug trafficking, which he says has spread to every area.
• Reservoir opponents: a network led by Wanna Boonchan, opposing a reservoir project, was due to leave Chanthaburi's Wang Tanot site at 8.09pm on Sunday and reach Government House on Monday.
• Rak Chan group: led by Pacharadanai Chaitiang, it plans to travel to Bangkok on Monday morning and return home the same day.

Why the fuel protest convoy has support

Residents along the route gave money towards travel costs and complained that fuel for the trip to work alone was eating up their income. Prayoon Changjai, who owns a large fish pier in Chumphon's Pathio district, told reporters that coconuts had sold for about 2 baht each for nearly 30 years, while fuel and everything else kept rising. She said the prime minister should step down if he could not fix the problem.

According to Thairath's daily price list cited by The Thaiger, PTT sold regular diesel at 41.79 baht a litre and B20 at 33.50 baht a litre on 7 November, excluding local taxes. Since 1 November, the Oil Fuel Fund has paid a subsidy of 3.90 baht a litre on regular diesel and 5.82 baht on B20.

The anger comes as Thailand's headline inflation reached a 45-month high, driven largely by energy costs. Earlier this week, truck operators also rallied at the Energy Ministry to demand a diesel price cap. See our reports on the truckers' diesel protest, the fuel price cuts that began on 6 November and inflation hitting 3.9 percent.

Police order and traffic

Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner Pol Lt Gen Siam Boonsom signed Order No. 822/2026, which bans public assemblies within 50 metres of Government House from 12.01am on 5 November until midnight on 20 November under the Public Assembly Act 2015. The order cites risks to traffic, access to the compound and public safety, and names the alliance's planned rally as the reason.

Police are preparing traffic measures, and motorists near Government House should expect delays on Sunday night and Monday. As of Saturday, the government had made no public statement on the 10-baht demand. Travellers heading to Bangkok from Phuket and the south should check for traffic updates before setting off.

Details of the rally plans were reported by the Bangkok Post, with additional reporting from The Thaiger.

Photo: Thai Khu Fah building at Government House in Bangkok, destination of the fuel protest convoy (Abhichartt via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).