Activists harassed ahead of World Bank-IMF meeting

As the Annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group will be taking place in Bangkok between 12 - 18 October, activists have reported being visited by police officers and individuals of unknown affiliations, while civil society groups in the Deep South face harassment and disinformation campaign.

Supaporn Malailoy from the People’s Network Against the World Bank and IMF said during a panel discussion on state violence against protesters on 9 October that members of the Network in several provinces were harassed by police and unknown individuals between 14 September and 8 October. 

On 14 September, 2 men went to the home of an activist in Chiang Rai trying to find out whether the activist will join activities in Bangkok. It was later found out that the men were Special Branch police.

On 22 September, 2 men who claimed to be national security officers visited an activist in Chiang Mai, but the activist was not at the address. Instead, the two men asked the activist’s relatives how many people were going to Bangkok.

During the Network’s 2 October press conference, tourist police officers in uniform came to the De Prime Rangnam Hotel, where the press conference is being held. They questioned hotel staff about the press conference and whether any foreigners were in attendance. A Metropolitan Police investigation officer also came undercover to the press conference.

On 6 October, plainclothes officers visited a village chief in Nong Bua Lumphu trying to get information about protesters’ travel schedule. Two days later, also in Nong Bua Lumphu, 6 men went to the workplace of a woman activist. They questioned her about her attendance at the IMF meeting and tried to ask for her phone number, which made her felt intimidated.

Supaporn Malailoy (center)

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights (TLHR) also reported that police twice visted Anuwat Promma, an employee of the Consumer Association of Khon Kaen and a member of the Northeast NGO Coordinating Committee on Development (NGO-COD, at his residence in Khon Kaen.

On 7 October, two men drove a truck to Anuwat’s house. They first asked a neighbour where he lives and were directed to the house. Once there, one man asked his mother if she knew him and if he was home. When she asked why they were asking questions, they said they were checking on him because he has a history of joining protests. The men returned later and asked Anuwat’s mother what he does and where he works. She said she does not know, so the men asked her “why don’t you know where your son work? You’re his mother.”

According to TLHR, Anuwat’s mother said the men wore white t-shirts and khaki trousers. One of the men never left the truck, but both never said their names or positions and did not present IDs. However, the neighbour they spoke to is a village chief assistant and said both were police officers.

Anuwat told TLHR that his mother does not know the nature of his work and that civil society work can be difficult to explain. He speculated that the police were trying to collect information about him, and that it is likely connected to the protest being planned during the World Bank-IMF meetings.

Supaporn noted that these incidents are similar to harassment faced by activists before the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in 2022, and that governments often claim national security, peace and order, and the country’s image as reasons for harassment when holding international meetings. She asked who benefit from the meetings being held smoothly, and stressed that citizens who face the effects of development projects are also stakeholders but have no say in a government-provided space. 

Representatives of the People's Network Against the World Bank and IMF delivering their statement on 9 October

The Network previously called a protest on 12 – 18 October at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, where the World Bank-IMF Meetings will be held. In a statement issued on 9 October, it noted that the pattern of intimidation and harassment resembles those faced by activists before the 2022 APEC Summit, and that protesters attempted to march to the summit venue were blocked and violently dispersed. It noted that, following the dispersal which injured several people, there was no clear disclosure of who had ordered the crackdown or who should be held accountable.

Such incidents must not be allowed to happen again, said the Network. It demands that the government end all surveillance, intimidation, and harassment, and must not attempt to block people from traveling to Bangkok to participate in the protest. It also called for the names of commanding officers and those responsible for the operations to be disclosed, and for the government to guarantee that no force will be use to disperse a peaceful protest. 

Representatives of the Network filed a daily record at the Yaring Provincial Police Station after a member and local leaders were threatened. (Photo from the People's Network Against the World Bank and IMF)

Meanwhile, Network members in the Deep South face harassment and disinformation campaign. Supaporn said that, on 6 October, a Facebook page posted false information about Network members in Pattani, claiming that they were backed by foreign groups and tried to link their activities to national security issues.

The Patani River Protection Network, a member of the People’s Network Against the World Bank and IMF, has called off a panel discussion on cultural and economic policy domination and effects on the environment, previously scheduled on Saturday (10 October) at Gor Tor Bridge, a bridge across Sai Buri River on the border between Pattani and Narathiwat, after members of the Network were threatened.

Sohabuddin Loyapa, a Network representative, said that they called off the event because Arifin Soh, another Network member, found rice and egg placed in front of his house on 5 October. Rice and egg have been used to communicate death threats in the Deep South, he said, as both are given to attendees at a Muslim funeral.

Arifin has filed a daily record with the police in Yaring district about the threat. He said that he asked his relatives and the village chiefs and learned no one in the community has died,so it is unlikely that the rice and eggs are left because there was a funeral. He noted that, if the rice and eggs are favours for funeral attendees, they wouldn’t have been left on the ground. He felt it was a threat as the two objects together are a death threat in the cultural context of the Deep South, and said that his mother is very concerned. 

Sohabuddin also said that national security officers visited local religious leaders and warned them not to go ahead with the event or to make a stand against imperialism. He stressed that public participation in development projects and expression of opinion are fundamental rights that should be projected. He demanded that the police investigated the threat against Arifin to ensure his safety and protect the space for public participation.

He stressed that they did not cancel the event out of fear. However, they must take into consideration the concerns of the community and religious leaders who have been harassed, since Martial Law is in place in the area.

The full statement by the People's Network Against the World Bank and IMF reads:

The People's Network Against the World Bank and IMF Raises Alarm Over Nationwide Intimidation and Harassment Under the “Blue Regime,” Pointing to Possible Moves to Block and Disperse Its Protests

The People's Network Against the World Bank and IMF reaffirms that, for more than six decades, the World Bank and IMF have inflicted devastating consequences on countries across the Global South through economic colonialism. By providing loans for development projects and dictating the direction of economic development, these institutions have imposed conditions that place markets and private capital above states and societies. As a result, governments have been compelled to cut public spending and social welfare, liberalise trade and financial markets, reduce import tariffs, promote environmentally destructive domestic and foreign investment, turn nature into financial assets, and withdraw support and subsidies from farmers, workers, marginalised communities, ordinary people, and those living in poverty. These policies have also driven the privatisation of state-owned enterprises, among other measures.

By imposing conditions that give markets and private capital power and influence over states and societies, these institutions have forced governments to cut public spending and social welfare, liberalise trade and financial markets, reduce import tariffs, promote environmentally destructive domestic and foreign investment, turn nature into financial assets, reduce assistance and subsidies for farmers, workers, marginalised communities, ordinary people and those living in poverty, and privatise state-owned enterprises, among other measures.

These policies have caused profound problems in Thailand and neighbouring countries, contributing to violations and repression of people's rights and freedoms and the weakening of democracy. Economic and development policies that fail to respect people's rights and freedoms cannot be called development.

It is therefore the responsibility of the people to oppose the World Bank and IMF Annual Meetings, which are akin to a “global casino,” taking place from 12 to 18 October 2026.

However, in monitoring the actions of the “Blue Regime” government over the past several months, the People's Network Against the World Bank and IMF has found that officials from various state agencies have begun conducting psychological intimidation operations aimed at instilling fear among people in communities across the country, from north to south, through various forms of harassment and intimidation.

On 22 September, security officials visited the home of a social activist in Chiang Mai, despite knowing that the activist was not there. Their apparent intention was to pressure the activist's relatives instead, questioning them about whether and how the activist intended to participate in protests against the World Bank and IMF.

On 24 September, Special Branch police approached another social activist in Chiang Mai to ask similar questions.

On 6 October, a social media page published allegations against social activists in Patani, claiming that their participation in protests against the World Bank and IMF was linked to foreign interests, formed part of an anti-state movement, and posed a threat to national security.

On the same day, officials from the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) in Nong Bua Lam Phu province pressured a village head to take them to meet villagers opposing limestone mining. The officials questioned them about their participation in the protests against the World Bank and IMF, including how many people from the community planned to attend and other details.

On 7 October, police officers in Khon Kaen province visited a social activist's home twice. After failing to find the activist during their first visit, they returned and harassed the activist's mother, demanding to know where her child worked, what kind of work they did, the name of their workplace, and its location.

On 8 October, six investigative police officers in Nong Bua Lam Phu province reportedly went directly to the workplaces of villagers in the same community, again questioning them about whether and how they intended to join the protests against the World Bank and IMF.

The Network observes that these patterns of intimidation and harassment closely resemble those directed against social activists and communities in the lead-up to the 2022 APEC Summit. Those actions were followed by attempts to block protesters from marching to the summit venue and ultimately by the violent dispersal of the demonstration, which left several people seriously injured, including one person who permanently lost their sight in one eye.

The lessons of the 2022 APEC Summit go beyond the use of force to disperse protesters, which resulted in injuries and permanent loss of vision. They also expose the persistent problem of impunity among those exercising state power.

When people were injured, there was no clear disclosure of who had ordered the crackdown, who should be held accountable, or when the victims would receive justice.

The Network therefore declares in advance that the government and commanding officers responsible for managing the protests must not allow such incidents to happen again. They cannot evade accountability by claiming that the actions were carried out solely by officers on the ground.

The Network reaffirms that all economic and development policies must be grounded in human rights, fundamental freedoms, and democracy, which form the essential foundations of our society. These foundations can only be strengthened and sustained when people actively exercise their rights and freedoms to question, challenge, and directly resist the state and private capital. There is no other path, and no shortcut, towards building a society that develops without leaving anyone behind.

We therefore remind the “Blue Regime” government not to follow in the footsteps of the government that emerged from the military coup led by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), which blocked and violently dispersed peaceful protesters, leaving people injured and permanently disabled, as Prayut Chan-o-cha and his administration did.

The Network demands that the government immediately end all surveillance, intimidation, and harassment of people and their families; refrain from establishing checkpoints to prevent people from travelling to participate in peaceful assemblies; disclose the identities of those with command authority and those responsible for the operations of all state agencies involved; and guarantee that no force will be used to disperse peaceful assemblies, no violence will be inflicted upon protesters, and no weapons or crowd-control equipment will be deployed in ways that endanger people's lives or physical safety.

The government must also ensure that the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand, the media, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and independent observers are able to freely and fully monitor and scrutinise the conduct of state authorities.

The destination of this protest against the World Bank and IMF is solely the area in front of the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. Accordingly, the duty of officials and other competent authorities under the Public Assembly Act is to facilitate and protect the assembly, ensuring the safety of all participants so that they can fully exercise their constitutional rights and freedoms and achieve the objectives of their protest against the World Bank and IMF.

Respectfully,
People's Network Against the World Bank and IMF
9 October 2026