September 27, 2020
This Week in Human Rights News
Pro-Democracy Protests in Thailand
Sources: Washington Post (1, 2), ForSea, New York Times, Foreign Policy and Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal
Thailand is officially a constitutional monarchy, but the king has long dominated the country, sometimes intervening directly in politics.
The Royal Family has also enjoyed persistent support from the army. Together, they have woven a formidable alliance that undermined elected governments, mostly through military coups.
In 2016, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, died after 70 years on the throne. He enjoyed tremendous prestige, and was seen as a unifying father figure in Thai society.
Since then, his son, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, has been steadily amassing political and financial power (controlling assets estimated to be worth between $50-60 billion). He commands his own military unit and controls the government.
He is also protected by the harsh lèse-majesté law that forbids any insult to the royal family.
The pro-democracy movement in Thailand has been around for several years.
Since July 2020, Thailand has been seeing a rise in pro-democracy protests in the capital, Bangkok.
We spoke with Thai activist Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal, who explained that the pro-democracy movement has two aims: to obtain a “new government and [a] new constitution and reforming the monarchy”.
He further explained that Covid-19 played a major role in growing the movement.
First, it highlighted the structural injustices in Thai society which work to benefit the few.
Secondly, as many were stuck inside during lockdown, they began going online (for example, Twitter) and began connecting with one another and “engag[ing] more with [the] suffering of [others]”.
Netiwit tells us that many Thais have become frustrated with these human rights violations, the military intervening in politics, delayed elections and corrupt elections.
Some of the recent protests are led by children who call themselves the “Bad Students”. They are calling for an end to all forms of harassment against students demanding democracy, revocation of obsolete and abusive school regulations, and educational reforms with students’ full participation.
There have been many reports of children and students (of the “Bad Students”) who have been harassed and intimidated by government officials, teachers and by the police.
There have also been reports of political exiles being kidnapped and/or disappearing in recent years under suspicious circumstances.
Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal tells us that the government is using intimidation tactics to threaten and scare the youth.
Other activists have also been speaking up on issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and women's rights: abortion, tax on menstrual products and school rules that force girls to conform to an outdated version of femininity.
They are also calling for an end to the patriarchal structures of Thai society.
The biggest protest happened on September 19, 2020, with over 100,000 people joining.
Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal expects bigger protests in October, because of its symbolic power for Thai activists.
In October 1973, students and the people overthrew the military government which had been in power for decades.