BANGKOK – Police in the Thai capital used water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets Saturday night to break up a rally by pro-democracy protesters calling for the release of detained activists, constitutional changes and reform of the nation's monarchy.
The rally held outside Bangkok's Grand Palace was a continuation of student-led protests that began last year and have rattled Thailand's traditional establishment, which is fiercely opposed to change, especially with regard to the monarchy.
The rally organizers had said they planned to have demonstrators throw paper planes with messages over the palace walls. The demonstrators, who numbered close to 1,000, managed to break through a barrier made of shipping containers outside the