BANGKOK: Tens of thousands of people joined Thailand’s biggest protest in years on Saturday, cheering calls to curb the powers of King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s monarchy and for the removal of former coup leader Prayuth Chan-ocha as prime minister.
The Royal Palace was not available for comment on the protest and the demands for reform.
“People can protest but they should do that peacefully and within the law,” said government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri when asked to comment.
Protests that have been building in the country of 70 million since mid-July have broken a long-standing taboo by criticising the monarchy as well as seeking a new constitution and elections.
Thai authorities have said criticising the monarchy is unacceptable in a country where the king is constitutionally “enthroned in a position of revered worship”. Lese majeste laws mean those insulting the monarchy can be jailed.
Biggest since 2014
It is estimated there were at least 30,000 people in the demonstration. Organisers said there were more than 50,000, while police said there were 18,000, still enough to make it the biggest since Prayuth took power in a 2014 coup.
The latest protests have been peaceful so far, but more than a dozen protest leaders have been arrested and released on bail. None has been charged under the lese majeste laws which protesters want scrapped.