Anti-government demonstrators have vowed to ramp up their calls demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, while denying accusations from the Pheu Thai Party and the People's Party that they are calling for a military coup.
The protesters, led by the United Power of the Land to Protect Sovereignty group, made the vow following an unexpectedly large turnout for their rally at the Victory Monument on Saturday, reports Bangkok Times.
The rally was held to pressure Ms Paetongtarn to step down over the leaked audio clip of her conversation with Cambodian Senate President Hun Sen.
The group's emergence marks a significant development in Thailand's shifting political climate, capturing attention from both supporters and critics.
However, opponents' attempts to link it to calls for a coup could retard its early popularity.
At the end of the rally, organisers called on demonstrators to regroup at Chamai Maruchet Bridge. Protesters are encouraged to join forces with the Network of Students and People for Reform of Thailand (NSPRT), which has set up an encampment at the location.
Apart from the immediate resignation of the prime minister, the group also demanded the withdrawal of all coalition parties from the government.
The group is also opposed to government plans to set up casinos, the Land Bridge megaproject, and the proposed 99-year land lease scheme to foreign nationals. It has also called for the drafting of a new constitution by the people, independent of any state-appointed constitution-drafting assembly.
Several core leaders have denied calling for a military coup, rejecting accusations made by their opponents.
The group has instead urged supporters to prepare for prolonged demonstrations if no political changes take place by July 1.
Pichit Chaimongkol, one of the group's leaders, said the protesters are being unfairly accused by both the government and opposition parties of supporting a coup when in fact, efforts should instead be directed at pressuring Ms Paetongtarn to resign as prime minister.
He insisted the group has never advocated for a military takeover. Rather, he said, the group is calling for the prime minister to take responsibility for her actions and for coalition parties to withdraw from the government.
While veteran protest leader Sondhi Limthongkul said he did not want to see the situation deteriorate to the point where another coup happens, he told thousands of followers who gathered on Saturday evening at Victory Monument that he "won't object if the military does something".
But he draws the line at men in uniform running the government again, given their poor record.
"Do not bring in those generals [to govern]. Let people like us in [the government]," said Sondhi, a core leader of the yellow-shirt movement that shut down Bangkok's two airports in 2008.
The Saturday rally concluded with a pledge by Jatuporn Prompan, a former red shirt leader who is now an outspoken critic of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, that there would be more to come if Thaksin's daughter clings to power.
Jirayu Houngsub, the government spokesman, said the government condemns the call for a coup, warning that such actions would endanger the nation's progress.
The People's Party also spoke out on its Facebook page following Saturday's demonstration, condemning any attempt to legitimise a military coup.
It called on the public to reconsider their support for the protest group.
