Shipping containers return to Bangkok streets as farmers protest IMF-World Bank meetings

BANGKOK – Police have placed shipping containers on roads leading to the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, where farmers and grassroots activists are marching to protest the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings. The Assembly of the Poor, a part of the international peasant movement La Via Campesina, began their march at 8:00 a.m. on Friday from Gate 1 of Lumpini Park, heading towards Sukhumvit Road and Asok intersection.

Metropolitan Police Bureau deployed the containers along both sides of Ratchadaphisek Road to obstruct the protesters' path to the convention centre, where the meetings will be held from October 12-18. The demonstration is part of a coordinated action involving La Via Campesina members in over 60 countries, advocating for six demands against global financial institutions, primarily the World Bank and IMF.

These institutions are accused of undermining democracy, food sovereignty, and perpetuating a system of neo-colonialism that oppresses grassroots communities. The IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings convene central bankers, finance and development ministers, private sector leaders, civil society representatives, and academics to discuss global economic trends, financial stability, poverty reduction, and other international matters. The 2026 meetings are scheduled to take place in Bangkok from October 12-18.