Thailand Protests: An Ancien Régime Faces a Reckoning
“Where is my freedom? Where are my rights?”
“Why are these generals so rich? All they do is cheat. They should be in prison.”
“Why do we need a king?”
These are some of the questions to which tens of thousands of Thai protesters in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and beyond are demanding answers. For most, the answer is democracy, of which the ruling military junta robbed Thailand with their 2014 coup.
Thailand’s ongoing protests are unique not only for their size but for participants’ willingness to openly criticise the monarchy—“No god, no kings, only man”, one sign proclaimed—despite aggressive lèse majesté laws prohibiting such criticism. So far, however, the government and palace have shown no signs of accommodating protesters’ demands, instead arresting a number of students and activists. Both institutions, meanwhile, have lost much of their popular legitimacy; without tangible reform, neither will be able to quell Thai discontent. Absent of such reform, Thailand’s future promises continued protest and, potentially, increasingly brutal crackdowns.
Click here to keep reading. Charles Dunst writes for 9Dashline.
