Icon: enlarge
Police units in Bangkok
Photo: SOE ZEYA TUN / REUTERS
The situation in Thailand remains tense.
How nervous the rulers are can be seen in the severity of the measures now imposed against the protest movement.
Gatherings of five or more people are prohibited in the capital, Bangkok.
The government announced that the measure was taken to stop the street protests from escalating.
In addition, the publication of news or online communications that "create fear", affect national security or damage public morality is prohibited.
The government could also ban access to designated locations.
The emergency measures would take effect at 4 a.m. (local time).
A place in front of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha's office was cleared by the police that night.
The three-month protests escalated on Wednesday as thousands of protesters camped outside the prime minister's headquarters to force the former junta leader to resign.
They also called for a public debate on the army's support for the royal family and the abolition of a law that provides severe penalties for criticizing the monarchy.
Anyone who insults the regent faces up to 15 years imprisonment in Thailand.
At the same time, hundreds of royalists gathered a few dozen meters away from the government's critics at the start of the demonstration.
They wore t-shirts in yellow - the color of the Thai monarchy.
The king is in town - for once
The special thing about the rally: King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who lives most of the time in Bavaria, is currently in Bangkok himself.
On Wednesday the regent was supposed to pass the democracy monument in the center of the capital, where the demonstrators had gathered, on the way to a ceremony, which is why clashes with the police were feared.
Thailand has a history of conflict, with over a dozen military coups in the past twelve years.
After the most recent coup in 2014 and a parliamentary election overshadowed by allegations of fraud, ex-army chief Prayut became the new prime minister.
Icon: The mirror
jok / Reuters