BANGKOK, November 19 (Reuters): In the midst of thousands of Thai anti-government protesters, one man made his own statement - with barbecued pork. Joined by onlookers, he made an impromptu picnic on Wednesday night outside the Thai police headquarters as protesters splashed it with paint and sprayed graffiti nearby. "For those who are still at home, did not join the protest and think that there is violence or that we are using violence on the authorities, I want to sho

BANGKOK, November 18 (Reuters): At least 55 people were hurt, some with gunshot wounds, when demonstrators marching on the Thai parliament clashed with police and royalist counter-protesters, in the worst violence since a new youth-led protest movement emerged in July. Police fired water cannon and teargas at protesters who cut through razor-wire barricades and removed concrete barriers outside parliament. The police denied that they had opened fire with live ammunition or rubb

BANGKOK, November 5 (Reuters): From raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for Thai protesters to inspiring the youths who join demonstrations through dances and social media, K-pop fans have emerged as a potent political force in Thailand's anti-government movement. Earlier this year, K-pop fans in the United States surprised many people by using their social media power to raise funds for Black Lives Matter and to sabotage a re-election rally for President Donald Trump.

BANGKOK, October 26 (Reuters): Describing themselves as "human beings, not dust", thousands of Thai protesters demanding reforms of the monarchy marched to the German embassy in Bangkok on Monday to put pressure on King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who spends much of his time in Germany. Germany has said it would be unacceptable for King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 68, to conduct politics there and Foreign Minister Heiko Mass said the European country continued to look into his

BANGKOK, October 25 (Reuters): Thousands of people protested in the centre of Thailand's capital Bangkok on Sunday in the first demonstration since Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha ignored their Saturday night deadline to resign. It was also the first major show of force since Prayuth lifted Oct. 15 emergency measures that had been meant to stop three months of protests against the government and monarchy, but which brought tens of thousands of people onto the streets. &

BANGKOK, October 23 (Reuters): One of the most prominent leaders of more than three months of anti-government protests in Thailand was freed on bail on Friday and pledged to keep up the campaign to remove Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. Jatupat "Pai" Boonpattararaksa was arrested on Oct. 13, when a few hundred protesters scuffled with police a day before a major demonstration that also called for reforms to the monarchy of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. "We will

BANGKOK, October 22 (Reuters): Thailand on Thursday rolled back an emergency decree aimed at ending months of protests against the government and monarchy that had only inflamed anger and brought tens of thousands of people onto Bangkok streets. A government statement published in the official Royal Gazette said that as of 12 p.m. (0500 GMT) it would mean an end to measures that include bans on political gatherings of five or more people and publishing news that could affect se

BANGKOK, October 21 (Reuters): Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha backed down on Wednesday over emergency measures he imposed last week to stop three months of protests, but which spurred even bigger demonstrations against his government and the monarchy. As the former military ruler spoke in a televised address, tens of thousands of people were marching to his office and many said his offer to lift the restrictions was not enough. The measures banned political gatherings

BANGKOK, October 20 (Reuters): Thai protesters raised three-finger salutes to the national anthem at public places across Bangkok on Tuesday in a sixth day showing defiance of a ban meant to end three months of protests against the government and monarchy. Protests have only grown despite a crackdown in which dozens have been detained. Two protest leaders were arrested on Tuesday on new charges just as soon as they were granted bail on previous charges. "This is not a l

BANGKOK, October 19 (Reuters): Thai police said on Monday they had ordered an investigation of four news outlets under emergency measures introduced last week and imposed curbs on messaging app Telegram to try to stop three months of protests against the government and monarchy. The announcement prompted anger from media groups and accusations of an attack on press freedom by the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the former junta leader the protesters are seeking

BANGKOK, October 18 (Reuters): Thousands of anti-government protesters took over key intersections in Bangkok on Sunday, defying a ban on protests for the fourth day with chants of "down with dictatorship" and "reform the monarchy." Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former junta leader the protesters seek to oust, is concerned about the spreading protests and the government wants to talk, his spokesman said. Demonstrations have persisted despite the arr

BANGKOK, October 18 (Reuters): Hundreds of Thai anti-government protesters demonstrated in Bangkok on Sunday, again defying a ban on protests against Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and the powerful monarchy. Demonstrations have persisted despite the arrest of dozens of protesters and their leaders, the use of water cannon and shutdowns on much of Bangkok's metro rail system in a bid to quell over three months of street action. Protesters moved quickly from point to poi

BANGKOK, October 18 (Reuters): Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in a wave of protests across Bangkok and other Thai cities on Saturday in defiance of a government crackdown following three months of demonstrations aimed at the prime minister and monarchy. Many protesters said they had been stirred into action by the police's use of water cannon on Friday to disperse thousands of youth-led protesters who included many children. "It was way over the lin

KLONG SAI PATTANA, Thailand, October 6 (Thomson Reuters Foundation): Somruedee Bunthonglek has not repaired the bullet holes in the pickup truck her husband was driving when he survived an assassination attempt barely a year after her father was shot dead on the same communal farm in southern Thailand. The grey truck, with about half a dozen bullet holes on the driver's side, is a reminder of the risks to the community that occupied about 237 acres of land in Klong Sai Patt

BANGKOK, October 2 (Reuters): Thailand's "Bad Student" campaigners toured Bangkok high schools in a truck on Friday in a protest cheered on by pupils to demand education reform and an end to the harassment of students and of school rules they say are outdated. The school demonstrations are part of an anti-government protest movement that has been growing since July and is also demanding greater democracy. Some campaigners seek reforms to the powerful monarchy too.

BOON RUEANG, Thailand, September 29 (Thomson Reuters Foundation): The villagers of Ban Boon Rueang in northern Thailand had long known that they benefited from the community wetland forest that supplied them with fish and firewood, but it wasn't until devastating floods in 2010 that they realised just how much. That year, flooding from the Ing river which often spills its banks in the annual rainy season, was particularly severe, inundating several villages. Ban Boon Rueang esca

BANGKOK, September 25 (Reuters): Wearing white ribbons, publicly hacking off their hair and making "Hunger Games" salutes - Thailand's high school students are doing their best to shake up the country's rigid education system. As university students stage weeks of high-profile campus protests for democracy, their younger brethren are advancing their own rebellion to Thailand's establishment. "There's a viral saying that 'our first dictators

BANGKOK, September 24 (Reuters): Thailand's parliament voted on Thursday to delay making a decision on whether it will amend the constitution, as demanded by anti-government protesters who have demonstrated nearly every day for more than two months. The parliament, dominated by supporters of the government, opted instead to set up a committee to study the process of the constitutional amendment first. "The vote to accept a motion for constitutional changes is e

BANGKOK, September 19  (Reuters): Around 20,000 people protested in Thailand's capital on Saturday against the government of former coup leader and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, with many demonstrators also calling for reforms to the monarchy. "Down with feudalism, long live the people," was one of the chants at the biggest demonstration in Bangkok since Prayuth took power in a 2014 coup. Protests have been building in the southeast Asian country since

BANGKOK, September 17 (Reuters): Thailand's military-backed prime minister warned protesters on Thursday against heightening COVID-19 risks as they planned large anti-government demonstrations for the weekend. Demonstrators have held two months of near-daily rallies to demand former junta leader Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's removal and changes to a constitution they say were designed to extend military dominance after an election last year. Prayuth, a former ar