Yellow-shirted Thai royalists show support for king
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[October 27, 2020]
By Chayut Setboonsarng
BANGKOK (Reuters) - More than 1,000
yellow-shirted Thai royalists demonstrated in support of King Maha
Vajiralongkorn on Tuesday, close to where thousands of people marched a
day earlier to demand reforms of the monarchy.
Youth and student-led protests began in Thailand in July to call for the
resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha - a former army ruler -
and a new constitution, but have increasingly sought curbs on the
monarchy's powers.
"We 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 there is a violation of
the monarchy."
So far, royalist demonstrations have been considerably smaller than the
tens of thousands of people who have joined the biggest protests against
the government.
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Protesters have accused he 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 has a policy of not commenting to the media and has made no
comment since the start of the protests.
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![](../images/102720PIX/news_z49.jpg)
Royalists wearing yellow shirts of which one is waving a Thailand's
flag, march during an event to support the monarchy in Bangkok,
Thailand, October 27,2020. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
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The king is currently in Thailand.
Royalists took heart at the weekend when the king lauded as "very
brave" a man who had defied protesters by holding up a picture of
the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, but the reaction of protesters has
been scathing.
Prime Minister Prayuth has ignored demands to quit and said the
crisis should be discussed in parliament, where his supporters are
in the majority, during an emergency session on Monday and Tuesday
this week.
Opposition parties told him he should step down for the good of the
country and stop using his proclaimed support for the monarchy as an
argument to keep power.
Prayuth's opponents say he only kept power at elections last year
thanks to electoral rules and a constitution drawn up by the junta
he headed after a 2014 coup. He says that the ballot was fair.
(Writing by Matthew Tostevin; Editing by Nick Macfie)
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