Thai student protesters push close to Grand Palace

Thai protesters pushed through police lines on Saturday to get within 150 metres (yards) of the Grand Palace, in an escalation of recent anti-government rallies.

Police offered little resistance but retreated behind another line of barriers closer to the world-famous complex and brought up a line of yellow water carriers to block the path.

The Thai royal family no longer lives in the Grand Palace but it is an important royal symbol.

The anti-government protest is the latest in a rolling series of rallies in Thailand, with organisers promising it will be the biggest yet.

The protesters have three core demands: forcing a dissolution of parliament, a new election and a new constitution.

But some have also targeted the country's monarchy with a ten point manifesto for its reform: a move that has dramatically raised the political temperature.

The royal institution is traditionally considered sacrosanct and untouchable and is protected by defamation laws that heavily punish dissent.