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Thai PM Urges Protesters to Back Off Constitutional Demands

VOA News

   Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha told student protesters Tuesday
   "not to create chaos" after many advocated for reform of Thailand's
   constitutional monarchy.

   Openly discussing the possibility of reforming the constitutional
   monarchy is generally seen as taboo in Thailand. And defaming the royal
   family can be punishable by up to 15 years in prison under the nation's
   "lese majeste" laws.

   Prayuth said the parliament would consider the protester's demands,
   underscoring, "I beg people not to create chaos at this time. We are
   solving these problems together."

   Prayuth is a former army chief who has been in power since staging a
   military coup six years ago. Since then, he has headed a
   military-backed government in Thailand.

   He noted that a committee had been created in parliament to discuss
   possible amendments to the constitution, which was drafted in 2017
   under military auspices. He added that it also would try to establish a
   way to ascertain the opinions of Thailand's younger demographic.

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