Yellow-shirted Thai royalists show support for king
A lot more than 1,000 yellow-shirted Thai royalists demonstrated in support of King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Tuesday, near where thousands of folks marched a day earlier to demand reforms of the monarchy. Youth and student-led protests started out in Thailand in July to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha - a former army ruler - and a fresh constitution, but have increasingly sought curbs on the monarchy's powers.
"You want to show support and encouragement to his majesty," said Thatchapan Boriphet, 57, at Lumphini Park in central Bangkok. "I am neutral politically but I cannot stand it when you will find a violation of the monarchy."
Up to now, royalist demonstrations have already been considerably smaller compared to the tens of thousands of individuals who have joined the largest protests against the federal government. Protesters have accused the king of political involvement and marched to the German embassy on Monday to seek an inquiry into whether he exercised his powers during long stays in Germany, something Berlin has said would be unacceptable.
The palace includes a policy of not commenting to the media and has made no comment because of the start of protests. The king happens to be in Thailand. Royalists took heart at the weekend when the king lauded as "very brave" a guy who had defied protesters by supporting a picture of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, but the result of protesters has been scathing.
Prime Minister Prayuth has ignored demands to give up and said the crisis ought to be discussed in parliament, where his supporters are in almost all, during a crisis session on Monday and Tuesday this week. Opposition parties told him he should step down for the nice of the country and stop using his proclaimed support for the monarchy as a disagreement to keep power. Prayuth's opponents say he only kept power at elections last year because of electoral rules and a constitution used by the junta he headed after a 2014 coup. He says that the ballot was fair.
