Thailand warns anti-government protesters calling for royal reform

Pro-democracy demonstrators raise their hands with a three-finger protest salute, inspired by the "Hunger Games" films, during an anti-government rally at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday. Photo by Diego Azubel/EPA-EFE

Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Authorities in Thailand are warning anti-government protesters against pushing too hard for reform, as rallies grow in number amid economic hardship and dissatisfaction with the military-backed government.

The protesters' calls to limit the power of the monarchy are also being followed by quick apologies from a university, the site of the most recent rally.

Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Tuesday he is not happy with the calls for reforms from students and activists, as pro-government allies slammed the protests as "hurtful" to the Thai people.

"I'm monitoring every development and I'm not comfortable," Prayuth said, according to Khaosod English. "It's their right to protest, but this one has gone out of line."

On Monday night, an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 people gathered at Thammasat University outside Bangkok, chanting "Long live democracy," while urging the resignation of the prime minister, who seized power during a military coup in 2014.

The protest was marked by calls to check the power of the Thai monarchy, led by King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Local media were unable to publish the demands, citing laws in Thailand against "royal defamation."

Royalists held counter-protests on Monday outside the nation's parliament. Thailand's lawmakers condemned the Monday rally.

Sen. Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana said Tuesday the unpublished comments by activists at Thammasat hurt the rights and feelings of "tens of millions of Thai people who are loyal to the royal institution and the tradition of peaceful co-existence based on the mercy of the royal institution," the Bangkok Post reported.

Anger is growing in Thailand over the constitution, which has allowed the military to appoint 250 of the country's senators, according to Nikkei Asian Review.

THE MILITARY CONTROL THAILAND, THE GOVERNMENT IS A SOCK PUPPET, 

THE THAI MILITARY HAVE CLOSE RELATIONS WITH THE BURMESE MILITARY 

IN CONTROL OF MYANMAR.

Young people in Thailand are growing restless amid the economic aftermath of the global coronavirus pandemic. Unemployment climbed to 4 percent in June, up from a rate of 1 percent pre-pandemic.

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Parallels in Fandom: Three Finger Salute; The Hunger Games In Real Life

Thailand: Thousands protest against government with run

Thousands have joined the "Run Against Dictatorship" in the Thai capital, with some protesters showing the three-finger salute made popular by the Hunger Games dystopian trilogy.


A large protest against Thailand's military-backed government on Sunday saw thousands join the "Run Against Dictatorship" in Bangkok, with some runners also showing the three-finger salute made popular by the Hunger Games movies.

Protesters gathered at a public park for an anti-government run early on Sunday, with Thai billionaire and opposition leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit leading the event.

Organizers said over 10,000 people registered to join the "Run Against Dictatorship," marking what appeared to be the biggest anti-government protest since the 2014 military coup, which saw the current Prime Minister and then-army chief Prayut Chan-ocha seize power.

"I want a government that takes care of the people and spends money on our well-being and the environment instead of buying tanks and submarines," one of the runners said.

Protesters chanted "Get out, Prayut" and "Long live democracy." Before running the 2.6-kilometer (1.6-mile) course, many of the protesters also flashed the three-finger salute inspired by the Hunger Games dystopian franchise.

Prayut managed to hold on to power after the 2019 election that the opposition believes was manipulated. The former junta leader is backed by the country's powerful military, and the government is often accused of wielding the country's draconian lese majeste laws as a weapon against political opponents.
Military leader Prayuth confirmed as Thai prime minister

The anti-military party Future Forward, headed by the opposition leader Thanathorn, is currently facing a threat of dissolution for allegedly attempting to overthrow the nation's constitutional monarchy. Thanathorn has been stripped of his lawmaker status and is facing various charges.

The 41-year-old billionaire, however, still enjoys a rock star status among his supporters.

"You can feel the anger of the people and their disappointment over the government," the billionaire told AFP news agency before the race. "I think this is the first step to general change in Thailand."

Run vs. Walk

Originally, the Sunday run was billed as a "Run to Oust the Uncle" in reference to Prayat's nickname, "Uncle Tu."

Pro-government activists staged a rival event to the Sunday run in a different Bangkok park, dubbing it "Walk to Support Uncle." While smaller, the walk still drew in thousands of mostly elderly Prayat supporters, reflecting a generational gap in Thai society.

"We love our country, we love a government which can provide security to our country," one of the participants told the AFP.

dj/stb (AFP, Reuters)

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In Thailand, student protesters take a leaf out of Harry Potter and Hunger Games books

At a recent rally on August 24 at Chiang Mai University, Thai student protesters raise three fingers in a show of resistance that pays tribute to the Hunger Games series.

THAILAND / PROTESTS - 08/27/2020

Since mid-July, students in Thailand have taken to the streets in a pro-democracy movement that is the most powerful series of protests since the 2014 military coup. This generation is capitalising on their youthful energy and pop culture knowledge to use non-traditional forms of protests –including lifting dissent symbols from the Hunger Games series, staging Harry Potter-themed protests and holding open-mic nights calling for an end to military rule.

In almost daily protests, students in Thailand are calling for the establishment of a more democratic system in the country. Specifically, protesters are asking the government to disband parliament, reform the constitution and stop the harassment of activists. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy. Since the military coup in 2014, a council of army leaders under Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has held power. The prime minister is a former army chief. Protestors say that the close relationship between the monarchy and the military are a threat to democracy in Thailand.

Older generations have often resisted openly criticising the nation’s monarchy – Article 112 of Thailand's criminal code declares that any citizen who "defames, insults or threatens the king, the queen, the heir-apparent or the regent" can receive up to a 15-year prison sentence. But this younger generation is fighting back, using all the tools of social media at their disposal. Across social media platforms, students are organising under the hashtag #เยาวชนปลดแอก (#YouthsLiberation).

Harry Potter and the Hunger Games
One of the students' most commonly shared symbols of resistance is a three-fingered salute. This is borrowed from the Hunger Games young adult books. In the dystopian series, the heroine, Katniss Everdeen, uses this salute as a call for revolution against the oppressive rule of the president. Thai youth first started invoking this symbol in 2014 right after the military coup, and it has been resurrected this year.





อยากถามว่า ครูอายไหม ??
เป็นกู กูอายนะ .. ????

สีกากี หากแปลตรงตัว คือขี้ข้าราษฏร์ ..#โรงเรียนหน้าเขาไม่เอาเผด็จการ#เยาวชนปลดแอก #ขีดเส้นตายไล่เผด็จการ pic.twitter.com/soQuJFe7w1 B A N K K E R (@BANKIVXCII) August 17, 2020
In this video, shared on August 25, a teacher tries to take a paper away from students speaking on stage. In response, the students raise three fingers and the crowd erupts in cheers.

On Monday, August 24, many students at Chiang Mai University joined an evening of speeches, rap, singing and protest. Thousands of students, as well as other citizens, gathered at the Ang Kaew Pavilion to speak out (and sing) against Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and King Maha Vajiralongkorn.





#เยาวชนปลดแอก #ประชาชนปลดแอก #ขีดเส้นตายขับไล่เผด็จการ #ประยุทธ์ออกไป #ประเทศที่บอกเสรีแต่ไม่มีสิทธิ์เลือก#ไม่เอาเรือดำน้ำ#ไม่เอารัฐประหาร #รัฐบาลส้นตีนคนเชียร์ก็ส้นตีน#รัฐบาลเฮงซวย#เผด็จการจงพินาศประชาธิปไตยจงเจริญ #เผด็จการจงพินาศประชาธิปไตยจงเจริญ

Cr. Goodmondayshoot pic.twitter.com/Vm6wnUJleA Leader Democracy (@LeaderDemocracy) August 25, 2020
In this photo, taken at a rally on August 24, the speaker raises her hand in a three-fingered salute. The crowd responds. Photo taken by Instagram user GoodMondayShoot and reshared.

During one popular rally on August 3, students dressed up as Harry Potter characters and met at the Democracy Monument in Bangkok. The protesters waved chopsticks serving as wands into the air as they called for the end of military leadership in the country. Leaders at the protest claimed that the Harry Potter theme referenced their call to decrease the military’s influence in government and to strengthen peoples’ civil rights and liberties.





ร่วมกันเสกคาถาผู้พิทักษ์ ‘เอ็กซ์เป็กโตร พาโตรนุม’ ใส่ผู้คุมวิญญาณที่คอยดูดกลืนความสุข เจ๋งงงงงง #เสกคาถาไล่คนที่คุณก็รู้ว่าใคร #เยาวชนปลดแอก pic.twitter.com/hIpHC2zhy0 คุณพี่อยู่จังหวัดอะไรค๊าาา (@cnew888) August 3, 2020
A student wearing a Hogwarts robe from the House of Slytherin speaks at a recent rally on August 3. The caption reads, “Together, cast a guardian spell. 'Expectro Patronum' to put on the dementors who absorb the delight.”


18.50 น. มายด์ นศ. ม.มหานคร ผู้ปราศรัยคนที่3 กล่าวถึงข้อเรียกร้อง3ข้อของ #เยาวชนปลดแอก กล่าวว่าการยุบสภาจะเกิดขึ้นได้เราต้องเอาสว.ออกไปจากระบบการเมือง พร้อมเชิญชวนผู้เข้าร่วมตะโกน 3 ครั้งว่า “เราจะไม่หยุดจนกว่าอำนาจมืดจะหมดไป” #เสกคาถาไล่คนที่คุณก็รู้ว่าใคร pic.twitter.com/n3egwlOz5B TLHR / ศูนย์ทนายความเพื่อสิทธิมนุษยชน (@TLHR2014) August 3, 2020
These photos from the same protest show a student speaker in a Hogwarts robe. The caption explains that she listed the demands of the #YouthsLiberation movement and told the audience to chant three times,"We will not stop until the dark power is over".


Resistance in schools

Besides calling for a true democratic system, students are also protesting the strict regulations imposed on youth in Thailand. In schools, students are required to sing a song that praises the 12 Thai values – notably discipline and filial piety. There are also mandatory haircuts, which is a rule dating back to when Thailand was run by a United States-supported military field marshal.

Since the protests started, though, many students are refusing to sing this Thai anthem, instead lifting their hands in the three-fingered salute. Some schools have tried to ban the salute. In the past week over 100 students have reported being harassed after either wearing white bows or making the three-fingered salute in protest, according to the group Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

โรงเรียนเราร่วมกันชู3นิ้ว หลังทำเสร็จครูก็ได้มีการออกมาพูดว่า มันไม่สมควรทำในรร.มีกฎ มีกรอบ แล้วได้มีการถามว่าอยากจะมีใครออกมาพูดไหม ตามในคริปเลยค่ะ พี่นางฟ้าของเรา #โรงเรียนหน้าเขาไม่เอาเผด็จการ pic.twitter.com/vOuGrgPsWY Clz (@__chxrlie) August 17, 2020
In this video, shared on Twitter on August 17, a student explains that a teacher admonished students for this symbol of resistance. The caption says: “Our school raised 3 fingers. After this was done, the teacher came out and said this should not be done in the school...”

ชอบรูปนี้มาก เอเนอจี้แบบพวกหล่อนไม่ให้ชั้นผูกโบว์ขาวไปโรงเรียนใช่มั้ย ได้! ชั้นเอาไปผูกหน้ารั้วกระทรวงศึกษาธิการแม่งเลยค่ะ ลูกศิษย์มิสซิสสร พวกเธอทำดีมาก #เลิกเรียนไปกระทรวง #เยาวชนปลดแอก #WhatHappensinThailand pic.twitter.com/xv37DuVKWk คุณนง (@yournosyfriend) August 19, 2020In this photo, shared on August 19, students tie white bows on the fence of the Minister of Education.

Government crackdown

The arrests of prominent youth protest leaders has been widely documented and shared on social media. The arrest of Panupong “Mike Rayong” Jadnok prompted a strong backlash. Jadnok was arrested with five others who had all participated in an earlier protest, named Free Youth, at Thammasat University Rangsit campus on August 10. According to the warrant, Jadnok is accused of sedition, violating the law against assembly due to Covid-19, and unauthorised use of loudspeakers.



In this Facebook live video, shared Monday August 24, activist Panupong “Mike Rayong” Jadnok is arrested by the police.
This powerful series of youth protests is technically considered illegal due to Thailand’s restrictions on assembly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But the movement shows no signs of slowing.

The Thai government recently took steps to try to restrict the protesters' influence on social media. On Monday, August 24, the government ordered Facebook to partially restrict access to one group on the platform that opposes the monarchy. There are over a million members in the group, which was created by a Thai academic who lives in Japan. Although Facebook complied, denying users in Thailand access to the group, Facebook said in a statement that it will take legal action against the Thai goverment.

Elsewhere on social media in Thailand, the hashtag continues to trend – and the rallies continue.

This article was written by Sophie Stuber

Thousands of anti-government protesters giving 'Hunger Games' salutes defy a ban on mass gatherings in Thailand
Sophia Ankel  Oct 17, 2020, 

Pro-democracy protesters show the three-finger salute as they gather demanding the government to resign and to release detained leaders in Bangkok, Thailand on October 15, 2020. Reuters/Jorge Silva

Protests have erupted in Thailand as anti-government demonstrators demand democratic reforms, the removal of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, and curbs on the royal family's power and budget.

 King Maha Vajiralongkorn is famous for his mistresses, crop tops, and globetrotting ways.

 The student-led protests defied a government-issued emergency decree on Thursday, which banned large gatherings of more than five people.

 Protesting against royal reforms is extremely dangerous in Thailand, which has some of the strictest lèse-majesté (to do wrong to majesty) laws in the world.

In the last week, Thailand has seen some of its biggest anti-government protests in decades as thousands of students took to the streets to demand democratic reforms.

Protesters are demanding the removal of Prime Minister and former military leader Pray uth Chan-o-cha.

They are also calling for curbs on the powers of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, a ruler famous for his mistresses, crop tops, and globetrotting ways.

Thailand has some of the strictest lèse-majesté (to do wrong to majesty) laws in the world, with some protesters facing up to 15 years in prison if charged.

Pro-democracy protests have erupted again in Thailand despite a government emergency decree that has banned large gatherings.

Pro-democracy protesters show the three-finger salute as they gather demanding the government to resign and to release detained leaders in Bangkok, Thailand on October 15, 2020. Reuters/Jorge Silva
Source: BBC

The main symbol used by protesters has been the three-finger salute, similar to the one used in the popular film franchise "The Hunger Games."

Pro-democracy protesters demanding the government to resign in Bangkok, Thailand on October 15, 2020. Reuters/Jorge Silva

People have been urged to use the three-finger salute during the national anthem, which is usually played in public spaces such as train stations, twice a day.

Source: The Guardian

The student-led protest movement has been ongoing ever since the country's prime minister, Prayuth Chan-o-cha, was appointed after controversial elections in 2019.

An anti-government demonstrator skates over an image of Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha during a Thai anti-government mass protest in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 14, 2020. Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

Chan-o-cha, who is a former army chief, first seized power in a 2014 coup.

Source: BBC

Protesters have since been calling for the government's dissolution and for democratic reforms.

Pro-democracy protestors confront police at a rally at the Ratchaprasong intersection on October 15, 2020, in Bangkok, Thailand. Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images


But it's not just the prime minister that people are protesting against. In recent months the demonstrators have also started calling for curbs on the powers of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

An image of King Maha Vajiralongkorn is seen as pro-democracy demonstrators march during an anti-government mass protest in Bangkok, Thailand on October 14, 2020. Jorge Silva/Reuters
Source: BBC

King Vajiralongkorn reportedly fled the country months ago, spending lockdown in a four-star hotel in the Bavarian Alps with an entourage of 20 women. His absence prompted Thai resident to tweet: "Why do we need a king?" over one million times

Exterior view of the Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl. © Leuchtende Hotelfotografie/Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl

Vajiralongkorn has been the King of Thailand since his father died in 2016. With an estimated net worth of $30 billion, Vajiralongkorn is the world's wealthiest ruler as of 2020.

Before his coronation, the King married his longtime partner and personal bodyguard, Maha Vajiralongkorn, in a surprise ceremony.

However, in July, he bestowed the title of Royal Noble Consort to Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, a former army nurse believed to be another longtime girlfriend. She was later spotted wearing a crop top and piloting a plane, according to pictures released by Reuters.

Source: Insider

Protesting against royal reforms is extremely dangerous in Thailand, which has some of the strictest lèse-majesté (to do wrong to majesty) laws in the world.

Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn presides over the annual royal ploughing ceremony at the Sanam Luang park in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 9, 2019. Anusak Laowilas/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Anyone who "defames, insults or threatens the king, queen, heir-apparent or regent" in the country can face up to 15 years in prison on each charge, according to the Guardian.
Source: The Guardian


More than 20 people have been arrested this week, including three protest leaders.

A Thai police chief speaks to pro-democracy protestors while they rally on October 15, 2020, in Bangkok, Thailand. Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images

Prominent protest leader Parit Chiwarak, otherwise known as Penguin, was also arrested.
"For our future, we demand three things. First, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-0-cha must resign. Second, we want to rewrite the constitution, and third, we demand reformation of the entire monarchy," Chiwarak told the Guardian last week.
Source: The Guardian

Protesters have also been wearing white ribbons and chanting "Free our friends!" in reference to those detained in the crackdown.

A protester makes a white ribbon as a symbol of peace in front of a police officer during anti-government protests in Bangkok, Thailand on October 15, 2020. Reuters/Soe Zeya Tun
Source: BBC

Thousands of people defied the emergency decree hours after it was issued on Thursday, gathering in Bangkok's busy Ratchaprasong intersection.

Pro-democracy protestors attend a rally at the Ratchaprasong intersection on October 15, 2020, in Bangkok, Thailand. Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images

People were chanting "release our friends" and called police "slaves of dictatorship", according to the Guardian. Deputy police spokesman Kissana Phathanacharoe said student leaders who had called for a protest on Thursday were "clearly breaking the law," the paper reported.
Source: The Guardian


In response, a large force of police officers in riot gear were sent to the streets to advance on protesters. Although the protest was mainly peaceful, pictures from the scene did show some clashes and a handful of protesters being arrested.

Police officers march in position behind riot shields in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 15, 2020. Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha TPX Images of the Day
Source: BBC

"Like dogs cornered, we are fighting till our deaths," Panupon Jadnok, one of the protest leaders told crowds on Thursday. "We won't fall back. We won't run away. We won't go anywhere."

Pro-democracy protesters show the three-finger salute as they gather demanding the release of detained leaders in Bangkok, Thailand on October 15, 2020. Reuters/Jorge Silva
Source: The Guardian

Opinion: Thailand has become #Juntaland

The banning of Thai opposition party Future Forward illustrates the country's lack of separation of powers. It is time to acknowledge Thailand's military government is an authoritarian junta, says Rodion Ebbighausen. 



The decision by Thailand's Constitutional Court to disband the opposition Future Forward party does not bode well for the country's democracy. On top of this, high-ranking party members, among them leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, have been banned from engaging in Thai politics for ten years.

The court justified its decision by pointing to illegal donations that were reportedly made to the Future Forward party. Party leader Thanathorn is said to have gifted over 191 million Thai baht (€5.6 million, $6.4 million) to his party — even though the country's party funding law prohibits private donations in excess of €300,000.

While Thanathorn has admitted giving this money to the party, he says it was a loan, rather than a donation. Thailand's electoral commission, however, decided that loans and donations ought to be treated the same in this context. And Thailand's Constitutional Court evidently subscribed to this interpretation as well.

These legal questions should not distract from the reality that this was essentially a show trial. And this, unfortunately, is all too common in Thailand. Future Forward is the fourth opposition party to be banned by the Constitutional Court in the past 13 years.

The real reason behind today's court decision is that the party won the third largest number of seats in last year's parliamentary elections. 41-year-old Thanatorn, who happens to be a millionaire, is popular especially with young Thais and Bangkok voters for challenging the Thai military. He has rejected the 2017 constitution that was drawn up by the military junta, calling it undemocratic.

Thanathorn: "The anger of the people is tangible"

Sham democracy

As the military only narrowly beat Thanatorn at the polls last year, it instrumentalized the Constitutional Court, electoral commission and public persecutor to go after his party. While officially independent, these institutions are staffed only by regime loyalists. And as such, they are regularly deployed to neutralize political adversaries.

The trial against Thanathorn once more proves that Thailand is effectively controlled by a military junta. It's not for nothing that the hashtag #Juntaland was coined after the coup.

Prior to the sentencing, Thahathorn had announced he would establish a new party should he lose and then support the extra-parliamentary opposition. Despite Friday's event, he is evidently determined to keep up his fight against the military.

Read more: The struggle continues for Thailand's opposition



ORNATE CORONATION CEREMONIES IN THAILAND
Wearing a 200-year-old crown

In one of Saturday's ceremonies, the king put on a crown weighing 7.3 kilograms (16 pounds) and measuring 66 centimeters (26 inches) in height. It symbolizes his royal powers, which include the right to intervene in government affairs. "I shall reign in righteousness for the benefits of the kingdom and the people forever," he said in his traditional first royal command.

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Thailand is holding three days of coronation ceremonies for King Maja Vajiralongkorn, who ascended the throne in 2016. The ceremonies follow a period of mourning for his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. (04.05.2019)

Date 22.02.2020
Author Rodion Ebbighausen
Keywords Thailand, Thanatorn, junta, authoritarian, military
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Thailand: Thousands protest against government with run 12.01.2020
Thousands have joined the "Run Against Dictatorship" in the Thai capital, with some protesters showing the three-finger salute made popular by the dystopian trilogy "The Hunger Games."


Thailand court dissolves pro-democracy party
By Elizabeth Shim


Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, leader of Thai opposition Future Forward Party, speaks to the media and supporters Friday after the Thai Constitutional Court ruled to dissolve the party. Photo by Rungroj Yongrit/EPA-EFE

Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Thailand's constitutional court ordered a pro-democracy party dissolved, citing an "illegal" loan from its party leader, Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit.

Thanathorn, a vocal opposition leader of the Future Forward Party who led anti-government protests in central Bangkok last year, is charged with making a donation of about $6 million to his party, an act that is in violation of local laws, the Thai court said.

The loan is being ruled as an illicit donation under Thailand's Political Parties Act, which limits political donations to about $316,000 a year, the Bangkok Post reported Friday.

Thanathorn and 15 other party executives are also banned from politics for 10 years, including secretary general Piyabutr Saengkanokkul and spokeswoman Pannika Wanich.

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Bangkok's Constitutional Court also said Thailand's Election Commission could take criminal action against party executives. A conviction for Thanathorn could mean a five-year prison sentence, according to the report.

Thanathorn's party gained prominence following Thailand's general elections in March 2019, when it gained 6.3 million votes. It was the third-largest party in the country before it was dissolved on Friday.

Thanathorn, 41, is an heir to a car parts business, according to the BBC.
RELATED Thai opposition leader receives police summons after protest



In December, Thanathorn and other opposition parliamentarians, were charged with blocking a train station, failing to control protesters and using loudspeakers in public without permission during an anti-government rally.

Thanathorn has been critical of military rule of Thailand, which has continued uninterrupted since 2014. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-Ocha was re-elected this year, but opponents including Future Forward have questioned the fairness of polls.

Prayut has maintained power through political coalitions.
RELATED Thailand's king strips consort of royal, military titles for undermining the queen



Seksan Anantasirikiat, a researcher with KlangPanya Institute for National Strategies, previously told UPI the prime minister, also the former chief of the military's junta, has the support of the majority of Bangkok's middle class, Thai tycoons and military commanders.

Control of street protests has also contributed to the stability of his administration, according to Seksan.

Former Future Forward party members are expected to defect to coalition and opposition parties. Thanathorn had said in a previous interview the movement will continue.

"If they dissolve our party, there will be two paths running in parallel -- one is a new party in parliament, running under a new name but the same ideology and the second is a social movement run by me and Piyabutr," Thanathorn had told the Southeast Asia Globe earlier this month.

 Funeral for Thai pro-democracy activist dead in prison

FRANCE 24 English

May 19, 2024  

In Thailand a funeral has been taking place for 28-activisit Neti-porn Bung, who died on Tuesday in prison following a 65 day long hunger strike. She was jailed for insulting Thailand’s monarchy, a crime punishable by 3 to 15 years in prison. Her death has prompted an outpouring of grief and renewed calls for justice reform in Thailand. Story by FRANCE 24’s Constantin Simon and Matt Hunt.

 

THE THREE FINGER SALUTE FOR DEMOCRACY IS FROM THE HUNGER GAMES

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for THAILAND HUNGER GAMES 

Demands For Democratic Reform Surge In Thailand

August 17, 20206:27 AM ET


MICHAEL SULLIVAN

Lighted cellphones held up by demonstrators calling for an end to the military backed government, in Bangkok, Sunday.Michael Sullivan/NPR

Thousands of Thais gathered on Sunday in the capital, Bangkok, for the largest anti-government demonstration since the 2014 coup that brought the military to power.

Protesters, many dressed in black, thronged the streets around the Democracy Monument at the intersection of Ratchadamnoen Avenue and Dinso Road.

Many chanted "down with dictatorship" and "the country belongs to the people" as they displayed the three-fingered gesture of defiance popularized by the Hunger Games movies.

Speaker after speaker reiterated the Free People movement's core demands: that coup leader turned prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his government step down, that a new constitution be written and that Thailand end harassment of government critics.

Some also called for curbs on the political influence of Thailand's powerful monarchy.

The monarchy has long been the country's most revered institution and any criticism of it carries serious consequences. Thailand's lèse-majesté law calls for prison terms of up to 15 years for defaming or insulting the royal family. A few weeks ago, however, protesters began calling for reforms to make it more like constitutional monarchies in other countries.

Members of a musical group performing at Sunday's pro-democracy demonstration in Bangkok make a gesture of resistance popularized by the Hunger Games movies.Michael Sullivan/NPR

Thailand's current king, Maha Vajiralongkorn ascended to the throne following the death of his much loved and admired father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who ruled for seven decades. Vajiralongkorn spends almost all his time abroad, primarily in Germany.


Last week, at another student rally at Thammasat University on the outskirts of Bangkok, more than 3,000 people turned out to hear student leaders outline a ten-point manifesto for reforming the monarchy. Much of the mainstream Thai media ignored or gave short shrift to this dramatic turn of events, fearful of angering the palace.

Some Thais worried that Sunday's huge gathering in Bangkok might end in a confrontation between students and ultra-royalists furious with the students' demands. But the six-hour plus event was a peaceful and often joyous affair. Both the organizers and the police put the number in attendance at more than 10,000.

There was a small counter-protest by a few dozen arch-monarchists. Dressed in yellow—a color associated with the monarchy—some waved huge Thai flags while others held up photos of the king for the television cameras.

The pro-monarchy group had threatened to stay the entire rally to ensure that the monarchy was not maligned. But most, if not all, dispersed quietly before sunset as the main rally got into full swing with student leaders and others taking turns at the microphone.

"We want a new election and a new parliament from the people," student activist Patsalawalee Tanakitwiboonpon told the gathering, and a "monarchy which is truly under the constitution."

A new generation demands change

The current prime minister, Prayuth Chan-ocha, took office after elections most independent observers agree were rigged in favor of the military backed parties. A newly formed opposition party popular with young people that finished third in the elections was dissolved earlier this year by the constitutional court in a move widely seen as politically motivated. Several leaders of the latest wave of student led protests have been arrested, then released. Police say there are warrants for more than a dozen more.

The student-led protests have been growing in recent months, despite a state of emergency that remains in effect because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But yesterday's demonstration drew a more diverse crowd. Thailand has been largely spared by the virus, with fewer than 4,000 confirmed cases and just 58 deaths. But the economic fallout from a ban on international tourists and a two-month long lockdown have left many Thais out of work and angry with the military backed government.

The students, some analysts say, have seen enough.

"They want their future back," says Thitinan Pongsudhirak, who teaches political science at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. "They've seen ineffectual, incompetent military government followed by an elected coalition government still backed by the military, leading Thailand to nowhere," he says.

At the end of Sunday's rally, student leaders urged the government to act on their demands within a month or face more rallies. Their enthusiasm caught the imagination of some of the older, more jaded Thais at the rally.

"Even though I'm just, like, a tiny voice, if a lot of us get together I hope we can make a change," said 32-year-old social worker Won, who declined to give her last name. "But I cannot get my hopes too high," she added quickly. "I have had my heart broken many, many times. But I still want to believe. That's why I'm here."

"Power in solidarity": Myanmar protesters inspired by Hong Kong and Thailand

(Reuters) - Using one hand to photograph this moment in Myanmar's history, Myat gave a three-finger "Hunger Games" salute of defiance to authoritarian rule as she stood with tens of thousands of other protesters gathered around the Sule Pagoda in downtown Yangon

© Reuters/STRINGER Rally against military coup in Naypyitaw

Passers-by and storekeepers returned the salute as Myat and her fellow demonstrators sang protest songs, while police watched on.

That was on Monday, the third day of protests by people opposed to a military coup against a civilian government that won a landslide election in November.

The three-finger salute was first adopted by activists in neighbouring Thailand opposed to a government there that is headed by a former army chief, who had also come to power in 2014 by overthrowing an elected government.

Before joining demonstrations, 28-year-old Myat says she reads a manual of Hong Kong protest tactics that has been translated into Burmese and shared thousands of times on social media.

Online, some opponents of Myanmar's Feb. 1 coup are connecting with users of the #MilkTeaAlliance hashtag that brought together campaigners in Thailand and Hong Kong.

"We saw how youths are participating in political movements in nearby countries," Myat said. "It inspired us to get involved."

Protesters told Reuters that social media helps them borrow symbols and ideas from elsewhere, like using Hong Kong-style flashmobs, rapidly shifting hashtags and colourful meme artworks.

Anticipating stronger action by police, protesters returned to the streets for mass protests on Tuesday, many wearing yellow construction helmets and carrying umbrellas, just as protesters in Hong Kong and Thailand had done.

The biggest protests in more than a decade have swept Myanmar to denounce the coup and demand the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. The deposed 75-year-old elected leader first came to prominence in 1988 during a very different generation of protests against an earlier junta.

For the first time in Myanmar, mass protests are joined by a Generation Z who grew up with greater freedom, prosperity and access to technology in what remains one of Southeast Asia’s poorest and most restrictive countries.

They are forming bonds with activists who took on Beijing's rule in Hong Kong and Thailand's government and its monarchy, which is accused of enabling decades of military domination.

"There's power in solidarity," said Sophie Mak, a Hong Kong human rights researcher and activist.

"Milk Tea Alliance is a pan-Asian solidarity movement basically comprising young people who are fed up by their governments' oppression," she told Reuters.

Allies abroad can amplify the message from Myanmar's activists, particularly when communications blackouts make it hard to get out information, she said.

The exchange in political campaigning culture is accompanied by protest art, with graphic artists preparing work to support each other.

One of the newest artworks shows the addition of a cup of Myanmar's own strong sweet tea to the image of milky tea drinks from Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

"Youths gained more exposure to the rest of the world during the last five years of the civilian government," said 24-year Nadi told Reuters at the same protest in Yangon.

"We witnessed what happened in Hong Kong and Thailand and it is a big influence on today's movement," she added.

Nearby, a bridge pillar had been covered in colourful post-its with anti-coup messages, copying Hong Kong's popular "Lennon Walls."

Pro-democracy campaigner "mhonism" - who asked to be identified only by his Twitter handle - dubbed Myanmar the newest member of the Milk Tea Alliance in a tweet sent hours after the coup that was shared more than 22,000 times.

He then helped to coordinate protests against Myanmar's coup in Thailand by Thais and people from Myanmar to demonstrate " solidarity."

Thai pro-democracy groups have now hung banners supporting Myanmar protesters in Bangkok - despite the disapproval of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, himself a former junta leader, who has said Thais should stay out of Myanmar's "internal affairs".

The exchange of ideas goes both ways.

Thailand's largest youth protest group, Ratsadon, has announced a protest on Wednesday with the banging of pots and pans - something the Myanmar anti-coup protesters have been doing nightly as a way to drive out evil spirits.

The aim is to protest against both governments.

"We went through the same thing," said Rathasat Plenwong , a Thai protester and Milk Tea Alliance activist. "Now we support and inspire each other."

(Reporting by Reuters reporters, writing by Fanny Potkin & Patpicha Tanakasempipat, editing by Matthew Tostevin & Simon Cameron-Moore)

Signs of dissent within Thai military as protests grow

By Chayut Setboonsarng and Matthew Tostevin

© Reuters/JORGE SILVA FILE PHOTO: 

Police officers sit on the ground after the motorcade carrying Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida drove past in Bangkok

BANGKOK (Reuters) - In July, as thousands of Thais demanded the resignation of the government in one of the largest street demonstrations since a 2014 military coup, Army Sergeant Ekkachai Wangkaphan sided with the protesters.

"Down with dictatorship," he wrote on Facebook under a news story about a jailed activist, a week before the protest. On the day of the protest, July 18, he shared a livestream and pictures with the hashtag of the Free Youth protest group. A few weeks later, he shared a photo of a protester carrying a placard saying "The country where you speak the truth and you go to jail."

© Reuters/MATTHEW TOSTEVIN 

Mobile phone shows picture of hand of Thai man in army uniform giving the salute of anti-government protesters taken in Bangkok

His superiors in the Royal Thai Army warned him to stop. But he had already made up his mind to quit and left the army in October.

"When the protests escalated, orders to prohibit social media posts came in more often," Ekkachai, 33, told Reuters in an interview. "They want to nip it in the bud, but they can't.”

Social media is exposing discontent among some soldiers, police and civil servants after months of protests against Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and the monarchy of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Although Thai soldiers have occasionally expressed sympathy for protesters in past bouts of political unrest, the rapid expansion of social media is making it difficult to contain.

© Reuters/Ekkachai Wangkaphan 

Former Thai Army Sergeant Ekkachai Wangkaphan poses with the three-fingered salute of anti-government protesters in this image he took in Bung Kan, Thailand

Reuters reviewed dozens of social media posts and messages on chat groups used by soldiers and police and found many expressing sympathy with protesters and anger or unease over the way those who oppose the government are being treated. Some posted about their loyalty to Thailand's institutions.

It is impossible to establish how far disaffection reaches based on social media activity. But the posts have attracted the attention of authorities.

“If you are posting things that are creating misunderstanding and provocation that would create instability, that is inappropriate," said Colonel Sirijan Ngathong, the army's deputy spokeswoman, adding that commanding officers were reviewing the social media activity of soldiers to prevent breaches of army rules.

She did not respond to requests for comment on the case involving Ekkachai or whether surveillance had increased since protests escalated in July.

Some posts appeared on the viral video-sharing app TikTok. One TikTok video, now removed, showed a soldier giving the three-fingered salute, a gesture of resistance featured in “The Hunger Games” film that Thailand’s student-led, anti-government protest movement adopted. "Keep up the struggle, Thai brothers and sisters," said the caption.

The video’s author told Reuters that he is a serving professional soldier but asked that his name not be used.

Some sections of the army have intensified their clampdown. A message posted by a coordinator in a private chat group used by officers in one artillery regiment, reviewed by Reuters, prohibited soldiers from joining protests or giving any political opinions on social media.

"After finding political expressions that were not suitable, commanders are asked to consider and rectify accordingly and to explain the political situation correctly to troops," the message said.

The army did not respond to a request for comment on the message.

It is unclear if disaffection will affect the protests or the way the government responds to them.

"While there is some disaffection within the armed forces, grumblings do not remain significant enough to constitute a significant faction," said Paul Chambers, a politics expert at Naresuan University in northern Thailand.

Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri declined to comment on disaffection among members of the security forces or civil service, saying only that the country should be focused on dialogue between those with different views.

PROTESTS SWELL

Tens of thousands of people have protested in the streets of Thailand since July, calling for a new constitution and the removal of Prayuth, who led a military coup in 2014. Protesters have also demanded curbs on the powers of the king, until recently a taboo subject in a country where criticism of the monarchy is a crime.

The army plays a pivotal role in Thailand, which has been ruled by serving or former military officers for more than two-thirds of the time since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. Thailand’s army has seized power 13 times since then and has on several occasions been involved in bloody crackdowns on protesters including in 1973, 1976, 1992 and 2010.

Although many of the coups have had the broad support of the armed forces, cracks in the military have been exposed in the past. During a bloody 2010 crackdown on red-shirted anti-government protesters in Bangkok, some green-uniformed soldiers openly sympathized with the demonstrators, tipping off the group’s leaders ahead of a planned army operation. They were dubbed “watermelons” - green on the outside with red sympathies on the inside.

That same year, rogue general Khattiya Sawasdipol – known as “Seh Daeng” or “Commander Red” - was assassinated after he came out in support of anti-government protesters, showing that displays of disloyalty in the Thai military can be dangerous.

"Security forces, especially those who have to confront the protesters, are in a stressful position," said Kiranee Tammapiban-udom of government consultancy Maverick Consulting Group. They have to follow orders but at the same time are branded "servants of tyranny" by protesters, she said.

One protest leader, Tattep Ruangprapaikitseree, said he encouraged security forces to disobey orders. "Turn your backs to your commanders, the regime will collapse," he told Reuters.

Another soldier who had also posted on social media said he was looking to defuse tension rather than escalate it. "Maybe it's time for the older generation to listen to the young,” he said. “Asking Prayuth to quit and for changes to the constitution is not abolishing the monarchy."

DRESS CODE: YELLOW

Some Thai police and civil servants are also questioning their roles. Many have been ordered to join official displays of loyalty to the crown, such as lining royal motorcade routes wearing yellow shirts - the king's colour.

Police Colonel Kissana Phathanacharoen told Reuters such activities are part of police duty and that law enforcement was politically neutral.

"Is this police work?" queried one police officer in an internal chat group, responding to a superior officer’s request in the group for participants to join a royal event. The superior officer responded in the chat group that he was passing on orders and that questions should be addressed to more senior levels.

One document seen by Reuters, sent by the Bangkok Metropolitan Police to the Office of Police Strategy, a national body, requested "250 female police officers and 1,950 male along the route of the royal motorcade" for a funeral on Oct. 29 in Bangkok.

"Dress code: yellow shirt with yellow collar. Long black pants, black shoes." Bangkok police spokesman Kissana said this was a normal police duty.

"Basically, we are disguised as civilians," a female police officer in her late 20s from the Royal Thai Police told Reuters, asking to remain anonymous. "We’re told to wear yellow and shout 'Long live the king'." Protesters say police are easy to spot on such occasions because of their short haircuts.

One 23-year-old civil servant complained at being ordered to attend a seminar to praise the works of the Chakri dynasty, of which Vajiralongkorn is the 10th king.

"I can't do much, so I donate to the protesters," she told Reuters.

(Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng and Matthew Tostevin in Bangkok; Editing by Bill Rigby)

Thai Protests Are Looking More and More like Hong Kong's Democracy Movement

Inspired by peers in Hong Kong, youth activists in Thailand are applying similar tactics to their own movement.

By Heather Chen

PROTESTERS IN BANGKOK ON OCT. 18, 2020. PHOTO: VICE NEWS]

Water cannons, encrypted messaging apps and swarms of students carrying umbrellas and wearing gas masks - this isn't Hong Kong, it's Bangkok.

Young Thai protesters are increasingly mirroring the sophisticated tactics deployed by peers in Hong Kong as they call for democratic reforms and changes to the powerful monarchy.

"This is very much a student-led movement that shares many parallels with the Hong Kong anti-government protests," politics lecturer Roger Huang from Sydney's Macquarie University Huang told VICE News.

"The protestors are mostly students from universities and high schools, online savvy, and much more aware of social justice issues. Although there are opinion-leaders, it is a much more decentralized movement, probably the bravest generation of young activists at least since the turbulent 1970s in Thailand."

World News
Thai Skateboarders Defy Authorities With 'Anti-Dictator' Designs
JAMES BUCHANAN 10.14.20


Thailand is no stranger to large-scale protests, military crackdowns and coups, but the new movement has smashed taboos and flouted legal restrictions against criticizing the monarchy, which many feel has too much of a say in Thai politics. It has also called for the prime minister to resign and demanded a new constitution.

Until recently, protests were held sporadically. That changed last week after several prominent leaders were arrested and police deployed water cannons to crack down on demonstrations in the heart of the city, fuelling even further resentment and leading to now-daily rallies despite a ban on large gatherings in Bangkok. Many protesters express allegiance to the so-called Milk Tea Alliance, an informal online solidarity movement of pro-democracy activists in Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

World News
Thailand’s Youth Are Protesting Against the Government in a Fight for Their Future
CALEB QUINLEY08.10.20


Here are just a handful of ways the Thai protests are looking more and more like what happened in Hong Kong.

Umbrellas at the ready

Since Friday, Bangkok has transformed into a sea of raincoats and umbrellas as tens of thousands of protesters braved daily rainy weather to demonstrate in multiple locations, including in provinces far from the capital.

For many, photos of umbrella protesters on the streets looked strikingly similar to the beginning of the unrest that was starting to take shape in Hong Kong back in 2014 and resurfaced last year.



NIGHT FALLS AS PROTESTERS GATHER NEXT TO VICTORY MONUMENT IN BANGKOK ON OCT. 18, 2020. VICE NEWS

Their umbrellas weren't just protection against the weather - they were a savvy tactic that served Hong Kongers well against tear gas fired by riot police over the years as well as to shield and protect injured protesters.

Bangkok's street vendors have also adapted, hawking goggles, helmets and raincoats as demand grows with each gathering.


Adding more eerie parallels to what happened in Hong Kong, jets of blue water were sprayed from water cannons mounted on trucks parked behind hundreds of riot police tasked with dispersing large crowds on Friday evening. The water was believed to contain chemical irritants similar to tear gas.

Acts of humanity

In a tweet that went viral, 24-year-old Hong Kong protest leader Joshua Wong drew attention to protesters in Bangkok over the weekend after they unified to part and create a path for an ambulance.


A similar moment occurred in Hong Kong during the tumultuous protests in June 2019, and the two images looked almost identical.

Young leaders facing charges

"I rose to the occasion and sang "Glory to Hong Kong" for the people of Hong Kong to hope for a freer life," tweeted vocal Thai student and democracy protester Bunkueanun "Francis" Paothong at Joshua Wong and Nathan Law, another prominent face in Hong Kong's movement.

"You two are my heroes," he said. "I was moved by your words and your actions to raise the awareness of our struggle for a free and equal democracy in our country."

Francis is now facing a possible life sentence after he was in a crowd that flashed defiant three-finger salutes from the "Hunger Games" films in the face of a royal motorcade transporting the queen. He was briefly detained and granted bail but his arrest was one of dozens in the wake of an intensifying police crackdown on protesters.

World News
Thailand Bans Mass Gatherings in Attempt to Quash Pro-Democracy Protests
ANTHONY ESGUERRA10.14.20


Wong, the most well-known in Hong Kong's fight for democracy against an increasingly assertive Beijing, has repeatedly praised and encouraged protesters in Thailand.

"Brave Thais are defying draconian laws, flocking to the streets and making their voices heard. Their determination for democracy cannot be deterred," Wong said on Twitter, flooding his timeline with dozens of Twitter threads and videos showcasing defining moments from the weekend protests in Bangkok. "We can get through this together."

Charlie Thame, a political science lecturer at Bangkok's Thammasat University, said many young protesters take inspiration from struggles elsewhere.

"You can't help but be impressed by their maturity. Many are voracious learners. Their creativity is also impressive."

Stifling media freedom

Following a protest-charged weekend, Thai authorities have threatened to censor media outlets in a bid to quell growing dissent against the government and monarchy. The controversial move echoes government censorship in Hong Kong, where media freedom and journalists face threats and are being targeted for speaking out on coverage deemed sensitive.

"The arrest, albeit temporary, of a Thai journalist on Friday night highlights the new risks for the media in covering events," read a statement issued by the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT).

"As protests continue in Thailand, the FCCT is concerned about the safety and security of all involved. Journalists could be arrested for simply doing their jobs."

World News
China Hoped Jimmy Lai’s Arrest Would Silence Him. It Failed.
HEATHER CHEN08.13.20


On Aug. 10, Hong Kong media mogul and anti-government critic Jimmy Lai was arrested at his home under a new national security law - for suspected collusion with foreign forces. Scores of uniformed police officers raided the offices of Lai's Apple Daily newspaper, which he founded in 1995.

Thais have now moved to popular encrypted app Telegram in a bid to avoid shutdowns on Facebook, where many protest gathering sites were announced. Within days of starting a main coordinating group on the app, it had more than 160,000 members. In Hong Kong, Telegram also played a role in the protests by moving to safeguard the identity of demonstrators.

But its days may be short-lived after an order circulating online in Thailand on Monday said the government was attempting to restrict access to the app within the country.

UPDATED
Thailand protests: Risking it all to challenge the monarchy

LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP

Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul read out the reform manifesto

A growing movement among students has been calling for political reform in Thailand. In recent days, the protests have taken a surprising turn, writes an analyst in London for the BBC.

On a stage at an out-of-town campus of one of Thailand's top universities, a young woman with wavy long hair and owlish spectacles steps forward, through a dramatic cloud of dry-ice, and reads out a 10-point manifesto to a crowd of cheering students.

Her demands, for a monarchy that is accountable to the country's elected institutions, that moderates its use of public funds, stays out of politics and does not exercise control over important army units, would be unremarkable in most countries.

In Thailand, they are nothing short of revolutionary.

Thais are taught from birth that the monarchy is the keystone that holds the country together, the institution that embodies the national character.

Every recent Thai constitution - and there have been 19 in modern times, along with a dozen military coups - has stated, at the top, that "The King shall be enthroned in a position of revered worship" and that "No person shall expose the King to any sort of accusation or action".

Those provisions are backed by article 112 of the criminal code, known as the lese-majeste law, which subjects anyone criticising the royal family to secret trials and long prison sentences.

Thailand's lese-majeste law explained VESTIGIAL FEUDALISM 

More recently, critics who fled to neighbouring countries have been abducted and murdered. Thais are taught to respect, revere and love the monarchy, but also to fear the consequences of speaking about it.
A 'dark hand'?

The issues raised on that stage at Thammasat University on Monday have, in the past, been discussed openly only by those living safely in exile, far from Thailand, or whispered in the privacy of the home.

The Thammasat manifesto has caused an uproar.

LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA Thais are taught to revere the royal family

The students have been accused of "crossing the line", of going too far, even by some of those who support their other demands for reform.

Senators appointed by the former military junta, and an important political crutch for the government of junta-leader-turned-Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, have called for legal action against the student leaders, for an investigation into how they funded Monday's spectacularly-produced protest, and into which "dark hand" instigated the youngsters to come up with such outrageous demands.

The powerful army commander, General Apirat Kongsompong, suggested that the protesters were afflicted by "chung chart", "hatred of the nation", a term used in the past to rally ultra-nationalist Thais against perceived enemies, and a disease, General Apirat told soldiers, that was far worse than Covid-19.

The student leader who read out the manifesto, Panusaya Sithijirawattanakul, has since stayed mostly on her campus, planning further rallies, and nervously watching the plain-clothes police who are now constantly monitoring her.
Why young people are protesting in Thailand
What we know of Thailand's King Vajiralongkorn
The satirist who vanished in broad daylight

Worryingly, some ultra-royalists are raising the spectre of October 1976, when police and right-wing vigilantes opened fire on left-wing students inside Thammasat University, killing dozens, lynching some and then battering their bodies.

That shockingly brutal attack was provoked by a rumour of a slight by the students against then-Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, the present king.

Veterans of the upheavals of 1976 do not believe it will happen again.

Former government minister Chaturon Chaiseng, who was among a number of student activists who spent years hiding with communist insurgents after the 1976 massacre, says a repeat of such violence would be very risky today.

There are so many grievances against the government at the moment, he says, which the students share with wider Thai society.

These protests are happening during an almost perfect storm of bad news for the Thai government.

Despite managing an impressive containment of the Covid-19 coronavirus, with no local infections for nearly three months, the collapse of tourism has hit the economy very hard and drawn attention to one of the world's widest gaps between rich and poor.

MLADEN ANTONOV

Thai activist Wanchalearm Satsaksit was abducted in Cambodia, his whereabouts are unknown

The decision earlier this year to dissolve a dynamic new political party, which had attracted the support of many younger voters, gave them the sense that the military-dominated political system was denying them a voice.

That was compounded by the abduction and presumed murder of a Thai activist in Cambodia, blamed by some on elements close to the palace, and then by the dropping of all criminal charges against a member of one of Thailand's wealthiest families over the killing of a police officer in a hit-and-run incident eight years ago.

On top of that, since the Covid-19 crisis started King Vajiralongkorn has spent nearly all his time living in a hotel in Germany, prompting a Twitter hashtag #มีกษัตริย์ไว้ทําไม #whydoweneedaking?, which was reposted more than a million times.
The voices of the next generation

The protest leaders have been careful to frame their demands within the constitution.

The first person to break the taboo, a week before the Thammasat manifesto, was human rights lawyer Anon Nampa, speaking at a Harry Potter-themed protest and looking not unlike the fictional young wizard.

He stressed that he wanted to reform, not overthrow, the constitutional monarchy.

He focused in particular on the huge assets of the Crown Property Bureau, which, under the late King Bhumibol, had been notionally held in trust for the benefit of the Thai people, but have now been declared the personal property of the king, making him by far the wealthiest person in Thailand.

Anon also questioned King Vajiralongkorn's decision to take personal command of all military units based in Bangkok, something he believes cannot be compatible with a democratic, constitutional monarchy.

"It had to be done," he said of his call for accountability.

"That's why I chose to speak candidly, to honour my own integrity, the integrity of the audience, and out of respect for the monarchy. Because if we don't speak frankly about it, then we will never understand it."

Anon Nampa and another activist, Panupong Jaadnok, have since been arrested on charges of breaking Thailand's sweeping sedition law, an alternative to the lese majeste law which, the King has let it be known, he no longer wants to be so widely used.

LAUREN DECICCA  Anon Nampa, a Thai Human rights lawyer,

 was the first to urge reform of the monarchy

But far from silencing talk about the monarchy, their demands have now been taken up by a student movement which has been agitating for change for many months, and which is active in campuses across the country, and includes high-school students as well.

We spoke to two young political science students who have become involved in the movement, both thoughtful and articulate, with hopes of good careers after university.

Yet their comments about the monarchy, although expressed with moderation and reason, would have been unthinkable even a year ago.

"This generation knows for a fact that the monarchy is involved in politics and that affects the lives of the Thai people," said one.

"So it is fair and democratic for us to talk about anyone involved in politics, whether it is the military or the monarchy."

"We have to try to start talking about it, making it a new norm in society to talk about the monarchy," said the other.

"I think the silent majority want to talk about it, because if you don't touch something, if you don't reform it, it will go rotten and collapse."

There are young people on the other side, though how many is hard to gauge right now. The potential for clashes, contrived or spontaneous, is real.

LAUREN DECICCA

Protesters have long invoked the three-finger salute from the film the Hunger Games

At a small pro-monarchy demonstration in Bangkok's historic royal quarter this month a student told the BBC that "the three pillars of this country, nation, religion and monarchy, must be revered, not brought down to be played with like this. That's not the right way under a constitutional monarchy."

"We're not coming out to fight with them. We have come out to show the power of the other side. Thailand has a long history. It cannot be brought down by those who want to defame the monarchy," they said.

This is uncharted territory for Thailand, and no-one knows what will happen next.

The government, comprised mostly of conservative, military and royalist figures, seems uncertain how it should respond.

An over-harsh reaction risks angering a public already frustrated over other issues. Yet it cannot be seen to be failing to defend the monarchy.

"The genie is out of the bottle," says Professor Thongchai Winichakul, a historian at the University of Wisconsin and another survivor of the 1976 massacre.

"Society won't stop, change won't stop. The only thing we can do is to take care that the change takes place with as little bloodshed as possible. Thais have been gossiping about the monarchy in private for years, then teaching their children to praise it lavishly in public, to be hypocrites. All these young protesters have done is bring that gossip out into the open."

The lese majeste and other laws and the threat they pose to BBC staff limits some of our reporting that relates directly to members of the Thai royal family.