A burning police vehicle during the anti-government protester rally in Bangkok, Thailand on August 7. Photo: Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Thai police on Saturday fired water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets into a crowd of anti-government protesters calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha over his handling of the coronavirus, AP reports.
Driving the news: Demonstrators, who were part of the student protest group Free Youth, threw rocks, bottles and shot fireworks during the confrontation at an army base where Prayuth lives, per AP.
- Five people were hospitalized, including three police officers, per AP.
- COVID-19 cases are spiking and the health care system is increasingly stretched to the limit, per AP.
- Thailand reported a record high of 21,379 confirmed cases on Saturday, with 191 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus case tracker.
- Protesters asked for part of the budget for the monarchy and the military to be redirected into the country's pandemic response.