[ad_1]
BANGKOK: The King of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn, told his supporters the importance of unity when he marked the opening of a new railway line on Saturday, after thousands of protesters turned their backs on their caravan as they passed through the downtown Bangkok.
Around 2,500 protesters had gathered at the capital’s Democracy Monument in recent months to protest against Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, demanding changes to the constitution as well as reforms to the monarchy.
Protesters covered the centerpiece of the monument, which has become a rallying point for protests, with a cloth covered in insults and insults. “The dictatorship will be destroyed, democracy will prosper,” shouted the protesters who scaled the three-meter structure.
As the caravan carrying the King and Queen Suthida passed, they turned their backs, gave the pro-democracy activists’ “Hunger Games” three-finger salute, and sang the national anthem in the latest show of discontent with the monarchy.
The king was greeted with a show of support when he arrived at the railway ceremony in the west of the city, where thousands of people had gathered in yellow shirts, waving national flags and chanting “long live the king.”
“He told me to show the children how important the unity of the country is,” said Donnapha Kladbupha, 48, a teacher who posed for selfies with the king.
The Royal Palace has not commented since the protests began, but the king said two weeks ago that the protesters were still loved and that Thailand was a land of compromise.
“Think well, do good, have hope, endure. Have unity being Thai, ”the king wrote on the reverse of a photo of himself and the queen that had been held up by a supporter.
The initial focus of the protests that began in July was to seek the removal of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. But protesters have increasingly called for reforms to the monarchy, breaking an old taboo against criticism of the institution, a crime punishable by 15 years in prison.
“Without the people, the government and the monarchy will have no power,” said Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, one of the leaders of the protest. “Are you willing to step back or find a consensus that we can agree on?”
