The Thai political system is currently in shambles. It’s always been that way, as one can say about any other country, but the current pandemic has done nothing but amplify the current state of affairs in Thailand. At the beginning of the pandemic, Thailand started as one of the shining stars in the fight against the spread of COVID-19. A hundred cases quickly turned to twenty because of the admirable work of the government. They did everything right. Somewhere along the way a revolution sparked. The facade of the shining star dimmed and a whole new generation of students marched down the streets of Bangkok petitioning against the government. But why? After everything they have done for the Thai people, how could one possibly despise the current administration?
Well...it’s complicated. Political tensions had always been boiling right underneath the surface. During the 2019 general election, the success of the military party, led by General Prayut, was met with a lot of controversy and distrust. A subset of citizens, mostly those in support of the Future Forward Party (FFP) called the election rigged. These emotions festered within the young, progressive generation of the Thai people. Right before Covid lockdowns, disaster struck as the Future Forward Party (FFP) announced its dissolution. If you weren’t aware, the FFP was a party that was incredibly critical of the military, especially General Prayut. They campaigned for progressive policies and a change of the Thai constitution. Protests started small on university campuses in the capital of Thailand. They were eventually shut down due to the new lockdown restrictions.
For some context, it’s important to note that there is a monumental gap between the rich and the poor in Thailand. A lot of Thai people who live outside the capital have tried to live in Bangkok to gain opportunities for a better life. Unfortunately, not everyone has been successful and has been left with barely livable wages. With the new lockdown restrictions, a lot of these people had to head back to their provinces because they did not have the financial stability to live in the city without a job.
On July eighteen, the largest anti-government protest commenced. The police and the people butt heads in front of Prime Minister Prayut. People hung around the main roads for the protests to block off traffic. The police resorted to tear gas, high-powered water cannons, and rubber bullets with the intent to disperse the protesters. These large protests spanned several days and multitudes of injuries, including a reporter. At the same time, the Black Lives Matters protests were occurring. Because of how reflective these two events were, the Thai anti-government protests bled into international news. So much so, that the UN advised for the end of police violence in Thailand. And it did..for a while. Just enough time for the government to retaliate in their way. The government immediately passed an Emergency Decree that forced citizens into a lockdown, not only in Bangkok but nationwide.
The anti-government protesters had three requests that they were pushing for. They wanted the dissolution of parliament, a new draft of the constitution, and to put an end to police brutality. On August 3, two student advocacy groups furthered these requests by targeting the current monarchy. They publicly criticized them while also demanding an entire reform of the monarchy. This was controversial, to say the least. According to Section 112 of the Thai Criminal Code, it was illegal to defame, insult, or threaten anyone in the royal family. It was a part of the Lèse-majesté mentality that had been alive since 1908. This eventually led to another large protest that was meant to challenge the current king of Thailand. As a response to this, the Prayut administration declared an Emergency Decree that restricted the freedom of the press and would punish those who would broadcast any information that could cause public fear. This immediately targeted the younger generation who have been using the internet to spread their beliefs and voices against the existing powers that be. This led to the arrest of dozens of pro-democracy members arrests.
The protests had died down but the distastefulness against the government proceeded into 2021. This was because they mishandled the Covid vaccines. Thailand had started as the beacon of hope during the pandemic because of how well they have handled the cases, despite the internal political turmoil. But after the neglect of the Prayut administration, twenty cases eventually became a whopping twenty thousand, all within a few months. Prayut had been too focused on revitalizing the tourist sector due to the failing economy thus forgetting to sign the documents to garner Pfizer vaccines for his people.
With all of this in mind, I would have to applaud the student body of Thailand who has done nothing but perseveres through the inherent harassment, arrests, and corruption that is currently happening in Thailand. It is also important to talk about the poor population in Thailand who have stuck through these students through protests and riots. These people have nothing to lose when the pandemic has already stripped away everything they once had. And if one has nothing to lose, they have everything to gain by fighting back. I do not live in Thailand anymore but I do hope that the change that they have been fighting for eventually becomes their reality.
By: Krissie Cruz
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