Thousands of people gathered in Bangkok in the biggest anti-government demonstration since the coronavirus pandemic gripped the kingdom.
Led by a student group called the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration , the protesters are demanding reform of Thailand’s powerful and wealthy monarchy. During a rally on Aug 10, UFTD put forward 10 reform proposals which included reducing the budget for royal expenses and not excessively glorifying the monarchy.
While the government has said it is open to constitutional change, it has called the demands for reform of the monarchy a “sensitive” topic. A 3.3 trillion baht budget for the coming fiscal year passed by the House of Representatives at its final reading on Friday included almost nine billion baht for palace expenses.
Key UFTD member Parit Chiwarak told The Sunday Times yesterday: “When we mention our problems, we never talk about the real cause of it… This should end in our generation.” The protesters, wearing black T-shirts, face masks and raincoats because of an intermittent drizzle, were largely peaceful. One report said at least 10,000 uniformed and plainclothes police officers were patrolling the area around the rally.
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