Accessibility links

Breaking News

Protests Persist in Thailand Ahead of Special Parliamentary Session 


Pro-democracy demonstrators attend an anti-government protest in Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 25, 2020.
Pro-democracy demonstrators attend an anti-government protest in Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 25, 2020.

Thousands of protesters gathered in Bangkok’s central shopping district Sunday after the prime minister ignored a "deadline” from the movement to resign.

Last week, largely student-led protests demanded that Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-Cha, who seized power in a 2014 coup, resign by Saturday evening. As the deadline came and went, protesters returned to the Ratchaprasong intersection to demand his ouster.

Renewed protests come ahead of a special parliamentary session Monday, which is aimed at easing political tensions amid the ongoing protests.

Prayuth has described the special session as a step toward finding a “middle-of-the-road path.

In addition to changes to the constitution, demonstrators are seeking to reduce the influence of the Thai monarchy.

The institution maintains a divine-like status among Thailand’s elite, and is protected by strict “lese majeste” laws that allow for imprisonment of anyone convicted of insulting the monarchy.

  • 16x9 Image

    VOA News

    The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports.

XS
SM
MD
LG