Thai police and protesters scuffle on eve of big demonstration

[BANGKOK] Thai police and protesters scuffled in Bangkok on Tuesday on the eve of a major anti-government demonstration and police said at least 21 people had been detained.

Trouble broke out when hundreds of protesters gathered near the Democracy Monument, a focal point of three months of demonstrations to demand a new constitution and the removal of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former junta leader.

Protesters pushed up against a police line and some threw blue paint over the officers. Police meanwhile demolished a tent that had been set up by the protesters.

A Thai police spokesman said some people for whom there were outstanding arrest warrants had been detained and that they would now face the legal process.

Protests since mid-July have brought the highest pressure in years on Thailand's ruling establishment, with protesters also calling for reforms to curb the monarchy of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, once a taboo subject.

Tuesday was a public holiday to mark four years since the death of the king's father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

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REUTERS