[ti:Thai Activists Again Take to Streets, Ignoring Government Protest Ban] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Thousands of Thai activists took to the streets of Bangkok on Thursday, [00:07.28]violating a state of emergency order and a government ban on protests. [00:16.16]The protest followed a demonstration Wednesday [00:20.48]involving tens of thousands of student-led activists [00:25.64]who gathered outside the office of Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha. [00:34.56]The protesters are demanding the resignation of Prayuth. [00:40.56]He is a former army general who has led the country under military rule [00:46.80]since his group seized power in 2014. [00:52.32]The activists are also pushing for changes to the constitution [00:58.20]and reforms of the country's monarchy. [01:03.80]Late Wednesday, Prayuth declared a state of emergency [01:08.76]that banned gatherings of more than five people. [01:13.88]The order gives police powers to detain people temporarily without charge. [01:21.44]It also bars the publication of news "through electronic media [01:27.92]that can affect national security," a government spokesman said in a statement. [01:36.00]After the declaration was issued, police moved in to clear out [01:41.36]a group of demonstrators who refused to leave. [01:46.16]Several top leaders of the protest movement were detained. [01:51.84]One of them declared later on his Facebook page [01:55.84]that he had been denied contact with a lawyer [01:59.28]and was forced onto a helicopter and taken to a city in the country's north. [02:07.08]Police said they had made 22 arrests. [02:12.40]On Thursday, several thousand people gathered in a different part of the city [02:18.16]for a new protest in violation of the emergency order. [02:24.08]The protesters – many wearing face coverings - cheered "Prayuth get out," [02:30.24]and "Free our friends" as they marched down streets in a major shopping area. [02:38.32]Thailand had already been under a national state of emergency [02:43.08]as part of its efforts to fight the coronavirus. [02:48.32]Several large pro-democracy protests [02:51.60]have happened in Thailand over the past few months. [02:56.48]All of them – including the latest ones – have been largely peaceful. [03:03.00]But in one incident on Wednesday, [03:05.80]police pushed protesters away from a motorcade [03:10.52]carrying Thailand's Queen Suthida, The Associated Press reported. [03:17.92]The incident led to a moment captured in photos and video [03:23.12]and widely shared on social media. [03:27.32]Images appeared to show protesters gesturing and shouting [03:32.64]just meters away from the royal motorcade. [03:37.32]Such actions are unheard of in Thailand, [03:41.04]where those waiting for a royal motorcade [03:44.40]usually sit or lie on the ground as a sign of respect. [03:50.44]"In the past when the royals drive by, we cannot even walk around the area," [03:56.72]a protester who saw video of the incident told the French press agency AFP. [04:04.36]"We have to stop everything and kneel on the ground." [04:09.20]The protester added, "I am so surprised. It is happening now, [04:14.72]we are changing a lot and it has moved forward. We are breaking taboos." [04:22.08]Thailand's royal family is protected by laws [04:26.00]that prevent criticism of any of its members. [04:29.92]The laws have often been used to silence critics [04:34.32]who risk up to 15 years in prison [04:37.64]if they are found to have insulted the monarchy. [04:42.64]Michael Montesano is with the Thailand Studies Program [04:47.64]at the ISEAS-Yusof Isak Institute in Singapore. [04:53.84]He told the AP the Prayuth government had been dealing with [04:58.92]the pro-democracy demonstrations "with reasonable success." [05:03.72]But following the incident involving the queen's motorcade [05:08.36]and the arrests of protest leaders, Montesano said the situation [05:14.08]had become "a full-blown crisis." [05:17.40]He added, "Unlike even 48 hours ago, [05:21.72]the country is in dangerous territory now." [05:26.72]A government spokesman said Thursday [05:29.64]the prime minister had ordered police to take strict action [05:34.32]against anyone attempting to interfere with royal motorcades [05:39.68]or otherwise insult the monarchy. [05:44.12]Student demonstrators first issued unprecedented criticism of the monarchy [05:50.56]and issued calls for its reform at a protest gathering in August. [05:56.52]Using direct language in public for the first time, [06:01.08]activists criticized the wealth of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. [06:07.44]They also questioned his influence [06:10.80]and noted that he spends much of his time in Germany, not Thailand. [06:17.80]Conservative royalist Thais accuse the protest movement [06:22.80]of seeking to end the monarchy, a charge its leaders deny. [06:29.00]I'm Bryan Lynn. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM