The peaceful gathering at Democracy Monument on Sunday is the largest Thailand has seen since Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha staged a putsch in 2014.
Student-led groups have held near-daily protests across the country for the past month to denounce Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha -- a former army chief who led a 2014 coup -- and his military-aligned administration.
"Down with the dictatorship," the students chanted, many holding signs critical of the administration. Others held bird-shaped cutouts representing peace. Organiser Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree reaffirmed the call Sunday, adding that the government must"stop threatening the people". They were told not to repeat the alleged offences, but two of them -- prominent student leader Parit Chiwarak and human rights lawyer Anon Numpa -- arrived at the protest venue on Sunday flanked by cheering supporters.
"We can't let the students walk on this difficult path alone," a 68-year-old woman told AFP, declining to provide her name.But the increasingly bold pro-democracy movement also has its detractors. Sunday's massive turnout is meant to send a message to the government that"they cannot forever use legal mechanisms against the people", said political analyst Titipol Phakdeewanich of Ubon Ratchathani University.
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