Thailand's student movement has reignited, as
young people across the country defy threats from the
military-backed government to take to the streets and call for the resignation of Prime Minister
Prayut Chan-o-cha. In what was the biggest demonstration since the pandemic began, about 3,000 people gathered at Bangkok's Democracy Monument on Saturday, according to organizers. They called for the dissolution of parliament, for the constitution to be rewritten, and for authorities to stop intimidating activists.
Similar demands were made at smaller protests that sprang up in towns and cities across the country every day this week, with more planned for the coming days.
The surge in protests comes at a difficult time for the country, which remains under a state of emergency to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The protests also comeafter years of political upheaval marked by a military coup in 2014, followed by failed promises to restore democracy, and what activists say is a repression of civil rights and freedoms.
