Bangkok

Thai police have arrested the head of a child modelling agency after more than 500,000 indecent images of children were found on computer hard drives.

Danudetch "Nene" Saengkaew, 23, has been charged with child sexual abuse and downloading child abuse images.

Investigators say the images were found in a raid on the Nene Modelling Agency, north of the capital Bangkok.

The raid was the culmination of a months-long operation that began with a tip-off from Australian police.

Before the start of new protests by the Thai democracy movement, head of government Prayut Chan-o-cha has branded the demonstrations as "illegal" and announced determined action against the activists. The authorities must bring the protests under control, Prayut said in parliament on Monday.

Pro-democracy students wanted to march in front of the German embassy in Bangkok on Monday afternoon in protest against King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Tens of thousands of protesters gathered Thursday in Bangkok defying the authorities that had issued a decree banning demonstrations. The pro-democracy demonstration eventually dispersed several hours after the 6 pm curfew.

The government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha has been the main target of the demonstrations, but protestors have also aimed at Thailand's monarchy.

German officials said a shipment of 200.000 N95 face masks destined for Berlin was seized at Bangkok airport and diverted to the U.S.

Berlin Interior Minister Andreas Geisel called the incident an act of “modern piracy.” Berlin Mayor Michael Müller, a Social Democrat, said: “the actions of the U.S. president are…inhumane and unacceptable.”