Demonstrators in Bangkok, Thailand have defied an archaic rule that makes condemning the monarchy illegal to demand reforms that include King Maha Vajiralongkorn being stripped of some of his powers, according to Reuters. Protesters have also called for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who was put in place by the king, to step down and that the constitution be rewritten and free elections held. The king—who was not in Thailand but in Europe, where he spends most of his time—has vowed to hang on under lese majeste laws, which give him unlimited power over the people. Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in the Royal Field both Saturday and Sunday while unarmed police tried to push them back. On Sunday, they cemented a plaque near the Grand Palace that reads, “At this place the people have expressed their will: that this country belongs to the people and is not the property of the monarch as they have deceived us.”
