Thousands of demonstrators have defied police warnings and occupied a historic field in Thailand’s capital to support the demands of a student-led protest movement for new elections and reform of the monarchy.
The two-day protest is taking place in an area of Bangkok historically associated with political protests, and drew a disparate crowd, including a large LGBTQ contingent with their distinctive rainbow flags.
A fiery late-night speech with hard questions and harsh criticisms of the royal institution set the crowd abuzz, even though its contents would almost sure qualify for arrest under the country’s law punishing defamation of the monarchy.
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