Protesters have begun gathering in the Thai capital, Bangkok, with organizers hoping it will be the largest anti-government protest to date.

The city has called for the beleagured PM to resign.

Despite risks from the country’s harsh royal defamation laws, some are urging reform of the monarchy.

Thousands of people are expected to attend the student-led protest on Saturday.

Protesters plan to symbolically occupy a park next to a palace used for royal ceremonies

• Why young people are protesting in Thailand
• The students took all these risks to challenge the monarchy

Police in riot gear stormed a rally on Friday, removing hundreds of protesters by truck.

But organizers are expecting more votes this weekend, and police say 50,000 people have already gathered, according to Reuters.

The movement is demanding that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha – who took power in the 2014 coup and won the disputed election last year – stand.

The calls for royal reform are particularly sensitive, punishable by the Thai monarchy by long prison sentences.

The BBC’s Josnath Head in the BBC says the effects of multiple political scandals and the coronavirus epidemic have caused growing discontent in the country.

Why protest there?

Thailand has a long history of political unrest and protests, but a new wave of protests began in February when a court ordered the dissolution of a new pro-democracy opposition.

The Future Forward Party (FFP) proved particularly popular with young, first-time voters and won the third largest share of parliamentary seats in the March 2019 election, won by the incoming military leadership.

Protests intensified again in June after the disappearance of prominent Cambodian pro-democracy leader Wanchlerim Satsakit, who has been in exile since the 2014 military coup.

• The Thai pro-democracy party was dissolved
• The satirical ones disappeared in broad daylight

His whereabouts remain unknown and protesters have accused the Thai state of abducting him – a claim denied by police and the government.

There have been regular student-led street protests since July.

Protesters have demanded that the government led by former army chief Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocher, who seized power in the coup, be dissolved; Let the constitution be rewritten; Authorities stopped harassing critics.

What is different now?

The demands of the protesters took an unprecedented turn when a ten-point call for monarchy reform was heard at a rally last month.

The move sent condolences through a country that has taught respect and love to the monarchy from birth and fears the consequences of talking about it.

• Students dare to challenge the monarchy of Thailand

The young woman said in a statement sent by Panushaya Sithijirawattanakul that their aim was “not to destroy the monarchy, but to modernize it, to adapt it to our society”.

But he and his colleagues have been accused of “chung chart” – a Thai word meaning “hatred of the nation” – and said they are deeply concerned about the consequences of doing “the right thing” by talking.

What is the law to protect the monarchy?

Each of Thailand’s 19 modern constitutions states at the top: “The king shall hold the office of honorable worship” and “no person shall expose the king to any kind of accusation or action.”

These provisions are supported by Article 112 of the Criminal Code, known as the Lease-Majesty Act, which criticizes secret trials of the royal family and long prison terms.

The definition of contempt for the monarchy is unclear, and human rights groups say the law has often been used as a political tool to control freedom of speech and opposition calls for reform and change.

In 2015, a man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for posting a picture of the then king’s favorite dog on social media for allegedly mocking the king. Other ways to defile the law include “liking” any critical reference on social media, questioning anything in Thai history that may be considered negative to the monarchy, or questioning the making of a book or drama with characters such as members of the royal family.

• Explained the Liz-Majesty Act of Thailand
• Various ways to get arrested for Thai Lease-Majest

The law was gradually enforced in the years following the 2014 coup, although King Viziralankorn wanted to make it clear that it should no longer be used extensively.

But observers say the government has used other legal means, including sedition laws, to address dissent.