Protests in Thailand began in early 2020 against the government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and later against the long-standing Thai monarchy. The protests can be attributed to alterations to the Thai Constitution in 2017, distrust of the 2019 general election, the dissolution of the Future Forward Party (FFP) in February of 2020 by Prime Minister Prayut, and increasing use of Thai lèse-majesté laws. The goals of the protests have been to dissolve the current parliament and hold new elections, end police and military intimidation of civilians, draft a new constitution, amend the lèse-majesté laws, and the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut.
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Figure 1. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
It is not uncommon for elected government officials in Thailand to be overthrown by military coups, in fact, thirteen successful coups have taken place since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. The most recent coup took place in 2014 and was led by the former head of the Royal Thai Army, Prayut Chan-o-cha who became the Prime Minister of Thailand and the leader of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) following the coup. In 2017, a new constitution was drafted by the military after a widely disputed constitutional referendum was held in 2016. The new constitution favors the military and sets political parties at a disadvantage by implementing a military-appointed Senate, allowing the military to appoint two prime ministers in the future, and requiring future governments to follow a '20-year national strategy plan' also drafted by the military. The new constitution ensures the Thai government will be following military-guided plans of democracy even after the junta loses power.
The 2019 general election, the first election since the coup in 2014, ended the NCPO, but in name only. The political system continued in the form of the Palang Pracharat Party, again headed by Prayut, and adopted NCPO politics. Following the election, during which Prayut's party won the most votes and gained 116 of 500 seats in the House, Prayut was reelected as Prime Minister.
Figure 2. Results of the 2019 Thai general election.
A new party that emerged during the 2019 general election was the FFP, a progressive party largely followed by Thai youths which provided an alternative to traditional Thai political parties. The party gained the third largest number of parliamentary seats during the election but was later dissolved by the Constitutional Court in 2020.
Finally, the usage of Thai lèse-majesté laws has increased since the 2014 coup and many view it as a way to suppress political dissent and free speech. Violations of the law can result in prison sentences upwards of 16 years.
Demonstrations, which initially began on college campuses, have since erupted all over Thailand following the dissolution of the FFP in early 2020. Although protests were temporarily paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they have recently picked up and have been gaining traction again.
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Protesters have been met with criminal charges, detention and police intimidation, military warfare units, riot police, pro-government groups, and mass media censorship. The demonstrations have frequently devolved into violence between riot police & royalist groups and protesters, and many have been injured.
Figure 4. Use of water cannons by riot police to disperse protesters.
Most recently, five pro-democracy protesters were arrested yesterday on charges of 'attempting to harm the queen' at a demonstration that took place in October of last year. During the altercation in question, the queen and the king's son drove through a small demonstration while protesters shouted anti-monarchy slogans at the limousine. Although the queen was not in any imminent danger and protesters have denied the accusations, the demonstrators were arrested and accused of violence against the royal family, which could result in 16-20 years of prison.
Figure 5. Queen's motorcade through anti-government demonstration in October 2020.
The Thai government has done little to meet the demands of the protesters, so demonstrations will likely continue. As the movement continues to grow following its hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, hopefully protestors will see positive responses from the government. The government as it currently operates infringes on the rights of its people and continues to prioritize its own goals rather than those of its citizens. Hopefully, these demonstrations will result in major change.
Further reading on:
Sources:
Associated Press. (31 March 2021). "Thailand pro-democracy activists charged over protest near queen's motorcade." The Guardian.
Kongkirati, P., & Kanchoochat, V. (2018). The Prayuth Regime: Embedded Military and Hierarchical Capitalism in Thailand. TRaNS: Trans -Regional and -National Studies of Southeast Asia, 6(2), 279-305.
Kri-aksorn, Thammachart. (19 August 2020). "All you need to know about Thai protests." Prachatai.
Online Reporters. (16 October 2020). "Water cannon used on protesters." Bangkok Post.
Peck, Grant. (21 February 2020). "Court in Thailand orders popular opposition party dissolved." ABC News.
Prachatai Staff. (15 July 2014). "2014 coup marks the highest number of lese majeste prisoners in Thai history." Prachatai.
Reuters Staff. (15 October 2020). "Explainer: What's behind Thailand's protests?" Reuters.
Sawasdee, S.N. (2020). Electoral integrity and repercussions of institutional manipulations: The 2019 general election in Thailand. Asian Journal of Comparative Politics, 5(1), 52-68.
Wilson, J. & Satrusayang, C. (1 March 2020). "22 detained after night of violence in Bangkok." Thai Enquirer.
Yuda, Masayuki. (18 November 2020). "Thailand parliament weighs changing constitution as protests rage." Nikkei Asia.
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