Thailand is now wavered by the revolution held by the power of youth demanding for true democracy.
What is going on?
Thailand's youth were seen among thousands on the streets of Bangkok last week. It was one of the biggest anti-government protests the capital has seen in years, despite a coronavirus ban on large crowds and gatherings.
It is reported that these youths will continue to protest if their three main demands are not met:
1) For parliament to be dissolved,
2) For the constitution to be rewritten, and
3) For authorities to stop harassing critics.
Many have figured and enforced creative ways to protest - including the use of a Japanese anime character and a "Hunger Games" salute.
The bloodless uprising from nearly a century ago helped establish the demolishment of absolute monarchy in the country and usher in an era of increased democracy. As for now, the inspired youth are constructing large scale bolder tactics with three simple demands. Over the past few weeks, Thailand’s new youth-led protest movement has been the center of attention, receiving recognition worldwide. Due to its success, the movement is gaining its momentum within the country. Opposition began brewing in March over dissatisfaction with the military-backed government, but the COVID-19 pandemic put a momentary pause on any activity. Once Thailand began easing restrictions, in response to a drop in its number of coronavirus cases, the movement resurfaced in full-force.
It all started with the disappearance of a key pro-democratic Thai activist named Wanchalerm Satsakit, who was plucked from a protest in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in June. His whereabouts are still unknown which was ongoing for about two months. Protesters raised concern on the Thai government’s negligence in investigating Wanchalerm’s disappearance as reflective of a continued clampdown against dissidents and a disregard for human rights. This angered the youth who then took the matters into their own hands, chanting their three key demands.
The dissolution of parliament.
The end to the intimidation of government critics.
The rewriting of the nation’s constitution.
To many young supporters, this new protest movement is more prominent than ever. A new generation of activists are pushing back against the nation’s de-facto military rule, which has been in power since a 2014 coup and has failed in its promises to restore democracy. Young activists have witnessed a steady rise of authoritarianism across the region and perceive this moment as an opportunity to save Thailand from an indefinite military regime—one that they say routinely violates their civil liberties and human rights.
Tattep, the leader of the Free People Movement,states that the re-energized youth-led protest movement comes in response to years of government intimidation. “For quite some time now, we’ve seen that whenever anyone speaks out against the government, they can be harassed. This has to change,” he added.
Demanding for a non military backed government, the thai youth made their point by voting for new, pro democracy parties, only to be stopped in part by the military back constitution. While the military-backed ruling coalition promised to restore stability to a nation rocked by decades of coups and political crises, many of the country's young people felt Prayut's government has done little to improve their economic prospects, restore democracy, or build confidence in the people.
Many of those on the streets voiced their worries on how they are tired of the same old faces that have dominated Thai politics for years, and have grown frustrated that attempts to reform existing power structures have ultimately faced failure.
The “Haircut controversy”
Students have been rebelling against an education system issuing controversy on how the system nurtures a culture of unquestionable acceptance of authority. When students across Thailand returned to school on July 1, after more than four months of closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, reports of students receiving forced haircuts – often humiliatingly carried out in public – emerged on social media platforms.
Punished for not having the “normal” hairstyle that is regarded acceptable in school, a 15 year old girl was humiliated by a teacher, getting her hair cut off in front of her peers to stop the students from demanding the right to choose their haircuts.
Before her school reopens, the girl obtained written approval to have her mid-length hair tied back with a ribbon. However, the teachers took action to chop off her hair amidst her return to school. It was said that the action of cutting off her hair serves as a warning to other students so that they would stop demanding the rights to choose their own hairstyle."One side of my hair was long, while the other was short. I was naturally embarrassed," she recalled, adding that cutting off students' locks against their will is a regular occurrence in Thailand.
The girl’s mother insists the teacher should have handled the situation better.
"Couldn't the teacher have told her nicely that her hair was too long and that she needed to have it cut shorter? You could have warned her. It's not like she wouldn't listen," the 33-year-old mother refuted. After failing to hold accountability of the teacher who was responsible for cutting her daughter's hair, Phailin took this matter on Facebook to expose the incident as she felt it was a case of undue punishment. But the teacher retaliated by making spiteful comments online after she raised the issue. The school's director warned pupils not to bully the girl or bring up the forced haircutting incident, however, her mom claimed that the incident left her daughter feeling guilty and expressed the need to transfer schools.
Role of Social Media:
The newest protests are being led by a younger, more digitally-savvy group of protesters that have helped to proliferate messages.
“In this day and age, we have the internet, so we use this to our advantage,” Bunkueanun Paothong, a 21-year-old protest leader from Mahidol University, told VICE News on Monday, August 3. “We often see this in the form of particular hashtags, memes, or edgy jokes floating around,” Bunkueanun said.
Recent social media reports of forced haircuts have inspired some students to question and confront a traditional education system that emphasizes undisputed obedience.
Fifteen-year-old Benjamaporn Niwas co-founded the group "Bad Students" to challenge mandatory school hairstyles in the name of order and discipline. "Whether or not one has discipline has nothing to do with their hairstyle .There are many ways to discipline a child without violating human rights," Niwas told.
Online and at rallies, yellow “missing” posters are shared, featuring the faces of disappeared activists. Students make subversive use of cultural references, tracing from Harry Potter to Hamtaro, a Japanese cartoon hamster. In public places, young people sing the adapted version of the Hamtaro cartoon’s jingle while running in circles, as if they are in a hamster wheel. As they run, they sing: “The most delicious food is taxpayers’ money.”
Speeches have also become increasingly direct, with some speakers calling for the power of King Maha Vajiralongkorn to be curbed. Prayuth has told protesters not to involve the monarchy but said he will consider their concerns regarding the constitution.
Some have questioned why, if demands are being listened to, the peaceful activists are being arrested. “The government is trying to buy time by arresting activists one by one,” said Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree, the secretary general of the protest group Free People Movement, who faces multiple charges. “They think that the protest will dissolve, but they are wrong.”
Thai youth are fighting against what is wrong and demanding their freedom back to flaunt their individuality. These millennials and protesters want Thailand's future back and will do anything within their ability to take action. As tensions mount, Thailand will either find a new constitutional balance that subsumes the military, monarchy and judiciary within it or end up with longer-term authoritarian rule and economic stagnation. Listening to these young voices and making concessions and compromises with them is better than putting everything on the line with a winner-takes-all response.
Sources:
'Release Thailand From Authoritarianism:' Thailand's Youth Are Protesting Against The Government In a Fight For Their Future. (n.d.). Retrieved September 04, 2020, from https://www.vice.com/en_in/article/ep4qya/thailand-protests-authoritarianism-fight-for-their-future
Tan, Y. (2020, August 01). Why a new generation of Thais are protesting against the government. Retrieved September 04, 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53589899
Regan, H., & Olarn, K. (2020, July 24). Many young Thais feel they have no future. Retrieved September 04, 2020, from https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/23/asia/thailand-anti-government-protests-intl-hnk/index.html
Myint, M., & Nicola Nixon, M. (2016, April 03). Thai Youth Shout to be Heard. Retrieved September 04, 2020, from https://asiafoundation.org/2010/10/27/thai-youth-shout-to-be-heard/
Written by Prapthi Manjunath from Bangalore, Karnataka
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