Bangkok – Thai parents gathered en mass at the Ministry of Health on Tuesday, angry at what they claim amounts to torture of their children.

Under Thailand’s current Covid emergency decree, school children in Thailand are obliged to wear masks during the school day. Parents claim that after 2 years this they can see this is hurting their children’s health and affecting their ability to learn, socialize and their general cognitive abilities.

Additionally their children are forced to take regular ATK Covid Antigen Tests, which parents say are torturing their children and leave them traumatized, not wanting to go to school. The cost of ATK tests is also a burden for many already struggling households.

Families today focused their anger at Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O, who chairs Thailand’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), and Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

“How can you do this to our Children” reads one sign.

“Leave your air conditioned office and see what you are doing to these innocent kids ” yells another irate parent.

“Why are you testing our kids when they are not sick….this is child abuse”?

Prime Minister Chan-o-cha is no stranger to protests and demonstrations, since siezing control of the country in a military coup in 2014, but this demonstration of upset parents feels different and is indicative of what is happening around the world.

Parents are standing up and saying “leave our kids alone”.