This article was originally published on Prachatai.

On August 6, activists and civil society groups staged a protest near Government House against the visit of Myanmar president and junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to Thailand.

In the evening of 6 August, activists attempted to display protest banners in front of the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC), opposite Government House. However, they were blocked by police officers from leaving the OPDC. The police also displayed banners claiming that Phitsanulok Road is within the 50-metre radius around Government House where protest is prohibited.

Two activists wore masks of Min Aung Hlaing and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and staged a performance in which they ate cake and spoke about the splitting of benefit between the two leaders and the water pollution in the Kok River from rare earths mining in Myanmar. Around them, other activists scattered pictures of the river, people, and internally displaced persons to show the effects of the 2021 Myanmar coup.

The two activists said that inviting Min Aung Hlaing to visit Thailand does not solve problems in Myanmar or the effects felt in Thailand. By inviting Min Aung Hlaing, the Thai government disregarded the problem facing the people, from water contamination to airstrike in Myanmar and Thai investment in business relating to the Myanmar military. If leaders do not listen to the people, it is difficult to achieve peace and normalcy.

At around 18.40, activists put up a banner saying “We don’t welcome the criminal Min Aung Hlaing” on the side of Phitsanulok Road, opposite Government House where Thai and Myanmar leaders were reportedly meeting. The police then made a warning through a megaphone, ordering the activists to move out of the area. After the activists put the banner away, the police warned them to stay inside the OPDC or they will be charged.