BANGKOK • Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn's praise for a man who held up a royal portrait at a protest site in Bangkok has drawn controversy in Thailand, winning acclaim from monarchists and scorn from protesters.

The King has not made any public comment on more than three months of protests, which have increasingly targeted the monarchy as well as the government.

But in video footage recorded on Friday evening as the King greeted well-wishers outside the Grand Palace, he is heard praising a monarchist who is introduced by Queen Suthida as the man who held up the royal portrait while others were protesting a few days earlier.

"Very brave, very brave, very good, thank you," the King said.

The Royal Palace made no comment, as it has not since the anti-government protests started in July.

The video was posted on the royalist's Facebook page along with several other videos of the event and pictures from last Tuesday showing him holding the portrait.

"Their majesties recognised me. This is the highest point of my life," wrote the man, Mr Thitiwat Tanagaroon.

The authenticity of the video could not be independently verified. Several other people at the event recorded the encounter and posted videos online, but the King's words were not clear amid the chanting.

The King's comments drew a big response.

"Just seeing this picture, we are very touched," royalist leader Warong Dechgitvigrom posted. "This is the Thai way and Thai society of caring, supporting and protecting. Today it's considered that his institution has adapted to be very close to the people. That made the greatest impression."

But also among the top trending hashtags on Twitter in Thailand, tweeted well over 500,000 times, was #23OctEyesOpened - used by protesters and their supporters who say the palace has now made its position clear. The hashtag #VeryBraveVeryGoodThankYou was also widely used - alongside sarcastic comments.

"Very brave, very brave, very good for such a clear expression," read a comment from protest leader Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree. He has put less emphasis than others on calls for royal reform.

Another protest leader, Mr Piyarat Chongthep, commented: "The King has not been above political problems but always sits at the heart of the problems."

Mr James Buchanan, a lecturer at Bangkok's Mahidol University International College, said the King's comments marked his clearest intervention so far in Thailand's crisis.

"I interpret it as signalling that the King acknowledges the challenge to his authority by the protests, but will not back down," he said.

The Thai protesters have three core demands: The amendment of the Constitution, the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and other coup-related entities like appointed senators, and monarchy reform.

The protesters accuse Mr Prayut, a former junta leader, of engineering an election last year to hold on to power. The Prime Minister denies the accusation.

The country is set to face a fresh wave of protests after Mr Prayut let lapse the demonstrators' deadline for him to quit by yesterday.

Two of the main protest groups - Free Youth and the United Front of Thammasat and Demonstration - have vowed to stage mass gatherings until all of their demands are met.

"If tonight passes and the government still ignores the demands of the people, we'll step up the pressure so that these demands could come true," the Thammasat group posted on Facebook yesterday.

The withdrawal of a state of emergency in Bangkok on Friday and the convening of a special session of Parliament this week have failed to placate protesters.

The Prime Minister has become vulnerable after failing to stem the protests, which may eventually pave the way for his ouster, said associate professor Christopher Ankersen from New York University's School of Professional Studies Centre for Global Affairs.

"It's feasible that he could be removed from office either through a political machination of some kind within his own party... or some other route, such as a formal royal intervention," Prof Ankersen said.

"Such a move could be used as a sop to the protesters, a way of forestalling real change, while addressing at least one of the main protest demands."

REUTERS, BLOOMBERG