Thais challenge the king in another massive protest in Bangkok

The protests that for months have called for the resignation of the Government and reforms of the monarchy in Thailand have taken a leap in their unprecedented and defiant character and for the first time, King Maha Vajiralongkorn has been able to see the scope with his eyes.

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters in Bangkok received the monarch's convoy, slowed down by the proximity of the crowd, with the three-finger salute in protest.

An image until recently unthinkable in a country where the king has the status of a demigod and criticism of his person is prohibited by one of the most severe lese majesty laws on the planet.

Nothing seems to stop the protesters, who have taken this gesture of the

saga

to show their dissatisfaction with the Government of General Prayut Chan-ocha, responsible for the 2014 military coup, and the evolution of the monarchy under the reign by Vajiralongkorn.

Thousands of them gathered this Wednesday early in the morning next to the emblematic Monument of Democracy in Bangkok and then headed towards the headquarters of the Government with the aim of demanding the resignation of the prime minister.

At the cry of "Prayut, out!"

and other slogans, the march grew in number as the hours passed, reaching about 20,000 participants, according to the local

.

One of the high points was experienced with the unusual scene of pedestrians sitting at the passing of the caravan in which the monarch and his wife, Queen Suthida were traveling, when tradition and security protocol require evacuating the road before the passage of the royal convoy.

But the traditional is no longer the norm in Thailand, the scene of more than 200 protests since last January - temporarily paralyzed by confinement measures to combat the coronavirus pandemic - which are only increasing in monitoring and symbolism according to weeks go by.

This Wednesday's protest was the first to take place during one of the few visits by the king, who lives most of the time in Germany.

Vajiralongkorn arrived in the country last weekend to commemorate the death of his father, the acclaimed Bhumibol Adulyadej, who passed away on October 13, 2016. And it also coincides with the anniversary of the beginning of the pro-democracy student demonstrations of 1973, which ended in a bloodbath with 46 dead, according to official figures, although independent sources raise the number to more than a hundred.

While the student leaders behind the protests have committed to their peaceful course, the day before there were some clashes between police and protesters that raised alerts.

While those attending the protest threw blue paint at the agents when they were dispersed, the Thai authorities detained about twenty activists.

With the presence of the king, about 14,000 police officers have been deployed in Bangkok on Wednesday to control the protests but the protesters were optimistic.

Have faith in democracy.

We cannot give up, ”harangued one of the leaders, Parit Chirawat, named

Avoid another vicious cycle

The slogan seemed to be effective in one of the most tense moments, when the pro-democracy protesters mixed with monarchical groups, dressed in the traditional yellow shirts, which represent the color of the institution.

The king's followers, believed to have infiltrated members of the security forces, sought to flank the royal convoy.

"They must not touch the institution," said one of its leaders, Buddha Issara, who clarified that the protesters could demand democratic changes, but not reforms in the monarchy.

But this is a condition that protesters do not compromise.

"It's now or never.

The root of the political problems comes from this institution, we can never ignore it again, ”warned Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul,

the 21-year-old student who has become a central figure in the movement.

The young

demanded in a protest in August that the king be subject to the Constitution, the law of lese majesty be repealed and a new Magna Carta be drawn up, among other demands.

“If we don't do this, we are going to end up in the same vicious cycle again.

Military coup after military coup with the support of the king ”, he warned.

Thailand has a long history of coups, as many as 13 have been completed since 1932. The most recent occurred in 2014 under the current prime minister.

The protesters deny the current Constitution because it was drawn up by the old military junta (2014-2019).

Prayut was elected in a controversial election in 2019, the same year that Vajiralongkorn was crowned.

But both have little legitimacy among broad sectors of Thai society.

In contrast to his father's good reputation, the current king is criticized for his long absences from Thailand and his control over the Army and royal estates.

Valued at tens of billions of dollars, Vajiralongkorn has moved to manage them directly, unlike Bhumibol.

An initiative that has not done well in a country whose economy has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and where a 7.8% drop in GDP is expected this year, according to the central bank.

An explosive cocktail that makes the current protests, called to continue, the greatest challenge for the Thai authorities in years.

Although Prayut has so far offered a restrained response to the protests, Human Righs Watch warns that it has recently taken a more "hostile" stance.

According to the Thai Lawyers for Human Rights organization, at least 65 protesters have been charged with charges such as illegal assembly and even sedition, which carries a maximum of seven years in prison, for their participation in the protests.