Standing atop the stairs outside his university auditorium, 20-year-old activist Parit Chiwarak led a protest of hundreds of people calling for an end to Thailand's ruling military junta.

"The military is supposed to protect the country, not fight the people," he called out to students gathered last month at Thammasat, one of Thailand's most prestigious universities.

"We want elections," they chanted, many of them waving fans emblazoned with hearts reading "Love Democracy."