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BANGKOK (REUTERS) – Thai police fired water cannons and tear gas at protesters marching in Parliament on Tuesday (November 17), and at least 18 people were injured in the most violent clash since a protest movement emerged. led by youth in July.
The protesters converged on Parliament to pressure lawmakers who were discussing changes to the Constitution. They also want the removal of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, a former ruler of the army, and reforms to curb the powers of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Police sprayed water cannons at protesters as they broke through barbed wire barricades and removed concrete barriers outside parliament. The officers then fired tear gas. Thousands of protesters gathered at different points and the number grew into the night.
Ambulances transported the injured to hospital. Bangkok’s Erawan Medical Center said 18 people were injured, 12 of whom suffered as a result of tear gas. He said one of the wounded was a police officer.
“This is brutal,” said a 31-year-old volunteer from the FreeYouth protest group, called Oh. The protesters advanced behind makeshift shields, including inflatable pool ducks.
Bangkok Police Deputy Chief Piya Tavichai told Reuters: “The police had to use tear gas and water cannons because the protesters were trying to break through the barriers.”
The government spokesperson, Anucha Burapachaisri, said that the police had been forced to act to protect the parliamentarians.
The Royal Palace has not commented since the protests began, although the King himself recently described Thailand as a “land of compromise” when asked about the protests.
“This is not a compromise,” said Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, a former opposition leader who was excluded from parliament in a legal decision that he said was politically motivated.
Prayut took power as head of a military junta in 2014 and remained in office as prime minister after last year’s elections. He rejects the opposition’s accusations that the election was unfair.
The last five months have seen the emergence of a protest movement demanding a profound reform of a system that, according to protesters, strengthens the military’s grip on power. Royalist counter-protesters say the protests threaten the monarchy.
Legislators were discussing various proposals for constitutional changes, some of which would exclude the possibility of altering the role of the monarchy.
Also discussed is the role of the upper house Senate, which was selected in its entirety by the former Prayut board and helped ensure that it would retain power with a parliamentary majority after last year’s disputed vote.
Some protesters clashed with dozens of yellow-shirted royalists who had been left behind after an earlier rally of hundreds asking lawmakers not to make changes to the constitution.
“The reform of the constitution will lead to the abolition of the monarchy,” royalist leader Warong Dechgitvigrom told reporters. The protesters have said they do not want to abolish the monarchy.
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