Thai police use tear gas, rubber bullets to break up protest
Source: AP
BANGKOK (AP) — Police in the Thai capital used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets Saturday night to break up a rally by pro-democracy protesters calling for the release of detained activists, constitutional changes and reform of the nation’s monarchy.
The rally held outside Bangkok’s Grand Palace was a continuation of student-led protests that began last year and have rattled Thailand’s traditional establishment, which is fiercely opposed to change, especially with regard to the monarchy.
The rally organizers had said they planned to have demonstrators throw paper planes with messages over the palace walls.
The demonstrators, who numbered close to 1,000, managed to break through a barrier made of shipping containers outside the ceremonial palace stacked two high. Police behind the containers responded first with warnings and then by shooting water cannons and rubber bullets. Police drove the crowd back and while skirmishes continued, the crowds appeared to have dissipated by 10 p.m.
Sparks fly from the barrel of a gun used by riot police to disperse protesters who removed container vans used as a barricade in front of the Grand Palace Saturday, March 20, 2021 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thailand's student-led pro-democracy movement is holding a rally in the Thai capital, seeking to press demands that include freedom for their leaders, who are being held without bail on charges of defaming the monarchy. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/world-news-police-bangkok-thailand-police-reform-f0cf36b0c0759ea6cfd1cfd3cbc70dd5
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