Hours after a royal motorcade carrying Thailand's Queen Suthida and Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti was surrounded by protesters, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha declared a state of severe emergency early Thursday morning, banning large-scale gatherings and restricting the media from publishing information that could affect national security or peace and order.
Protesters have since defied the assembly ban and taken to the streets. Student leaders have been detained, and water cannons, tear gas and waterborne irritants have been deployed by police.
Below are photographs of how events evolved:
