BANGKOK ¨C In unison, anti-government protesters Wednesday called the King of Thailand a giant monitor lizard, one of the worst things that can be said of anyone in Thai, and spray-painted bus stops and pavement in the capital¡¯s central business district with graffiti describing his sexual activity.
The insults demonstrated the increased daring of protesters in a country where criticism of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 68, can be a criminal offense, and the security apparatus has a history of crushing dissent. They have been gathering by the thousands across Thailand for months now, calling for the military-linked prime minister to resign and for the constitutional monarchy to actually come under the constitution.
As demonstrators pushed their way to the gates of Thailand¡¯s parliament on Tuesday, one of their leaders, Arnon Nampa, stood on a truck that doubled as a stage and threw down a bold ultimatum to the nation¡¯s governing elite.
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