BANGKOK: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha said Thailand needs to bring “illegal protests” under control on Monday as he opened a special parliamentary session to discuss months of pro-democracy rallies.

Prayut, the former military chief who staged the 2014 coup, has faced increasing pressure in recent weeks from tens of thousands of protesters demanding his resignation.

The student-led rallies are calling for Prayut’s resignation, a rewrite of the military-scripted constitution and an end to alleged government harassment of political opponents.

“Though the people have the freedom to protest based on the constitution, authorities need to control the illegal protests,” said Prayut, who recalled parliament from recess last week.

“We do not want to see clashes or riots in the country,” he said, accusing some protesters of “inappropriate actions”.

While Prayut acknowledged the protesters’ demands in his opening speech, the two-day parliamentary session has not listed them on its agenda.

However, an incident this month when protesters flashed three-finger salutes — a symbol of their movement — at Queen Suthida’s motorcade is up for discussion.

Such an overt challenge is unprecedented in Thailand, where the royal family is protected under harsh anti-defamation laws and criticism of them is taboo.

“The protesters say it was not in the plan for the Queen to pass that way, but the government says she can go anywhere,” said Tankhun Jittitsara, one of the secretaries of House Speaker Chuan Leekpai. (AFP/RSS)