Thai Protesters Face Off With Police as Rally Stokes Tension
- Gatherings by pro-government groups raise risk of clashes
- Currency, stocks retreat as demonstrations weigh on investors
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Tens of thousands of Thai protesters defied police barricades and pro-establishment groups in Bangkok on Wednesday for the most tense demonstration yet in a student-led push for greater democracy and less power for the monarchy.
The protesters pushed through several blockades made of transit buses, fences and barbed wire during their 2-kilometer march to Government House, the office of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha, where they plan to camp out tonight and surround it until the weekend. While they filled the main street in front of the building, thousands of police officers were deployed around the main protest venue.