Thai protesters end rally after police crackdown

Anti-government protesters in Thailand ended their rally on Friday night, with organizers urging the crowd to go home after a riot police crackdown. The protesters had gathered in torrential monsoon rains, in defiance of a strict state of emergency.

They sought to push their demands, including that Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha leave office, the constitution be amended, and the nation's monarchy undergo reform.

It was the second day they defied an order not to gather, imposed after some demonstrators heckled a royal motorcade, an unprecedented development in Thailand, where the monarchy is normally held in reverence. Police used water cannons and charged at the crowd, scattering protesters, onlookers and reporters.