BANGKOK -- Thai authorities declared a "serious emergency situation" in Bangkok early on Thursday and cleared thousands of demonstrators who had surrounded the seat of the government, in a clampdown after months of youth-led protests.
The emergency decree, which bans gatherings of more than four people, took effect at 4 a.m. and comes just as the country is attempting to rev up its coronavirus-hit economy. Some analysts worry that further turmoil could undermine that recovery.
