Thailand

Students defy Thai authorities: Thailand ‘belongs to the people’

Agence France-Presse

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Students defy Thai authorities: Thailand ‘belongs to the people’

Anti-government protesters hold up their mobile phones as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok on September 19, 2020. - Pro-democracy protesters took to the streets of Bangkok on September 19 as a rally expected to draw tens of thousands of people kicked off calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP)

Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP

(UPDATED) 'The people have expressed the intention that this country belongs to the people, and not the king,' states a People's Plaque installed by student activists

Thousands of protesters cheered as activists installed a new plaque Sunday, September 20, declaring that Thailand “belongs to the people” – the boldest show of defiance in a youth-led movement which has questioned the unassailable monarchy’s role in the kingdom.

Thailand has seen near-daily protests for the past two months led by student activists calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, a former army chief who masterminded a 2014 coup.

Demonstrators spent Saturday, September 19, protesting in Bangkok’s historic Sanam Luang field next to the Grand Palace, where organizers took a stronger line on monarchical reform, calling for the royal family to stay out of the kingdom’s politics. (READ: Tens of thousands of protesters join Thailand pro-democracy rally)

Authorities said the demonstration drew 18,000, though Agence France-Presse reporters on the ground estimated a 30,000-strong crowd at its peak – making it the largest gathering the kingdom has seen since the 2014 coup. 

On Sunday at dawn, student activists installed a commemorative “People’s Plaque” on the paved area adjacent to Sanam Luang field.

“Down with feudalism, long live the people,” shouted protest organizer Parit Chiwarak to the cheering crowd.

The new plaque states the date September 20, 2020, followed by the proclamation: “The people have expressed the intention that this country belongs to the people, and not the king.”

SIGN OF INDEPENDENCE. Pro-democracy protest leaders place a plaque on Sanam Luang field in Bangkok on September 20, 2020, following an overnight anti-government demonstration. Photo by Vivek Prakash/AFP

The movement is pushing frank questioning of the royal family’s role in the kingdom into the public – once a taboo topic due to Thailand’s draconian royal defamation laws.

The newly installed medallion references the original brass one embedded for decades in the ground of Bangkok’s Royal Plaza.

It commemorated the end of royal absolutism in 1932 after a revolution that transitioned the kingdom into a constitutional monarchy. 

But it mysteriously disappeared in 2017 – after King Maha Vajiralongkorn took power following the death of his father – replaced with one bearing a reminder for Thais to remain loyal to the “nation, religion, king.” 

Activists say the missing plaque is emblematic of a wider whitewashing of Thai political history. 

Palace officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Organizers had initially planned to march to Government House, but a last-minute change of plans saw protesters move to the Privy Council’s office –opposite the Grand Palace – to submit a list of requests. 

The highly influential board of royal advisors wields significant influence in Thailand.

Dozens of officers stood guard, alongside water cannon trucks in front of the palace.

‘Growing acrimony’

The leaderless youth-organized movement, inspired by Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, is calling for Prayut’s government to be dissolved, a rewrite of the 2017 military-scripted constitution, and for authorities to stop “harassing” political opponents.

Some factions within the movement – including the organizers of the weekend demonstrations – have also called for frank discussion of the monarchy.

Their demands include greater accounting of the palace’s finances, the abolition of royal defamation laws and a call for the king to remain outside of politics. 

The ultra-wealthy King Maha Vajiralongkorn sits at the apex of Thai power, bolstered by a powerful military and conservative establishment. 

The monarch spends long periods in Europe, his absence from Thailand raising ire on social media in recent months as the kingdom’s economy tumbled due to pandemic closures.

The newly installed plaque in Sanam Luang will be regarded “as an immediate challenge,” said analyst Paul Chambers, warning that “the growing acrimony could lead to heightened state violence against protesters.”

Prayut has said Thailand would be “engulfed in flames” if the students push too hard, though he vowed “softer measures” against the weekend’s protesters. 

Since 1932, the military has staged more than a dozen coups following bouts of violent protests – which arch-royalist generals have claimed in the past was necessary to defend the king. 

The recent wave of pro-democracy demonstrations have so far been peaceful.

But authorities have arrested more than two dozen activists, charging them with sedition before releasing them on bail. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!