Protests in Thailand: 'You have awakened a sleeping giant'

A new generation of activists in Thailand is moving away from coded criticism of the monarchy and the military, and openly calling for wholesale reform. Will this attract another crackdown?

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BANGKOK • One student's sign at the protest read, "No god, no kings, only man". Another's said, "You have awakened a sleeping giant".

Those protesters were among the more than 10,000 people who on Sunday attended an hours-long rally at Bangkok's Democracy Monument - which was built to commemorate the end of absolute monarchy in Thailand in 1932.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 19, 2020, with the headline Protests in Thailand: 'You have awakened a sleeping giant'. Subscribe