Bangkok Protests May Escalate as Thai Government Pushes Amnesty

Thailand’s biggest opposition party said as many as 50,000 people joined protests yesterday to oppose an amnesty law for political offenses, and predicted numbers will swell today after a contentious parliamentary vote.

The bill was passed by the lower house in a session that ended about 4:30 a.m. today. Lawmakers from the opposition Democrat party staged a walkout, saying they weren’t given an opportunity to debate its most controversial sections.