Protest held against IMF-WB meetings in Bangkok

A number of protesters are gathering today to oppose the ongoing 2026 meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Bangkok.

The demonstration has moved from Sunlakakorn Intersection to the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, where the meetings are being held for a fourth day.

The demonstration is led by a group calling itself ‘The People’s Network Against the World Bank-IMF’.

Protest leaders said the meetings pose risks to the public by increasing debt, warning that foreign capital could destroy local communities’ livelihoods and negatively affect people through investment projects.

“We will not surrender a single square inch of our people's land to green colonialism,” the protest group’s statement reads.

Public gatherings and demonstrations have, however, been banned near 24 official venues associated with the event until October 20th, with police warning that such gatherings could breach the Public Assembly Act of 2015.

As of press time, the demonstration had stopped at the Rama IV intersection, around one kilometre from the meeting venue. Slight tensions have been reported.

A source within the protest group told Thai PBS World that around 700 people are taking part in the demonstration.

The meetings have drawn more than 10,000 participants from over 190 countries, including policymakers, ministers and central bank governors, to discuss economic development.